Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-02-21
BAD ROADS HAS BEEN OBSTACLE
Movement for Establishment Of Bet
ter Highways Has, However, Made
It Possible For Government to Heed
Down Heretofore.
(By Associated Press

more efficient postal service In tn"
South. the appeals OF the people from
below Mason and Dixons line for In.
creased facilities Of that character
will not go unheeded by Uncle Sam,
Plans now being formulated by Offiic.
ials OF the Postoffice department con.
template the establishments during
the present year CT greater number
Of new rural free delivery routes In
the Southern States than in any other
section of the country
II has only been within recent
years that the people of the South
have come to realize the great brnc.
fits to be derived from the rural fee
delivery service. The failure to ap.
preciate what was at that time regard
cd az somewhat of an experiment"
was not confined to the South alto
gether by any means. as other sec
tons were not awakened TO y realiza-
ton of the good effects Of that scr
vice.
A new spirit now. however. has
come over the South and the people
Of that part of the country arc appre-
ciating 10 tho fullest degree tho bcnc-
iicient results of tho rural free dc
livery system. Overcoming what the
PostOfficc department regarded AS
natural barriers to an extension Of
the rural free delivery service in
many sections Of the South the way
is now clear for establishing hun
dreds OF new routes in various South.
ern States.
II is one of the requirements OF the
department In the establishment of
new routes that the roads shall be
kept in good condition. Although theA
Postoffice department has lren as
lenient as possible In the enforce
ment of this regulation in tn -. South
owing to natural obstacles nearly half
Of the petitions for additional routes
in the past have b. IN rejected. Now,
however that + good roads infec-
ton is sweepIps over the South. the
obstacles to increased postal factli-
ties are rapidly being removed with
beneficial results In that
respect One Of the most potent far
tors In bringing about a better system
Of highways In the South has been
Tho inauguration Of the rural delivery
The South will share to a larger ex-
mt than in any other section OF the
klntry in the proposed distribution
~ rural free delivery service during
fS,e present year. More than five
new routes are to be estab-
shed in various Southern states.
r'hich Is nearly fifty per cent of those
9or the entire country.
e There are now in operation in the
Southern States nine thousand eight
hundred and seventy four rural routes
br about - per cent Of the total num-
aDer of routes In operation. which COW
ar 287 ,469 miles OF roads. These
le,rtes. which cost the Government a
,Sptal Of $s.549.21S per annum to main
Ssin. are divided among the states rs
blows: Alabama $40: Arkansas 3+4:
iorida 140: Georgia 1.433: Louisiana
IS; mississippi SIS: North Carolina
e245: South Carolina 109: Tennessee
no511: Texas Las: and Virginia $50.
w these states rural delivery has
,ueen organized on full county basis.
IN eishty-nine counties. and ia con-
: emplated in other counties as soon
as II can t.e arranged.
The rural free delivery service is
under the jurisdiction Of Fourth As
sistant Postmaster General DeGraw.
hinder whose administration that
lr,ranch Of the service has witnessed
hen enormous growth. In an inter
Sciew with representative OF the
Press today Mr.. DeGraw
furnished some interesting facts and
Figures on tho subject Of the cxtcn-
a,ion Of rural delivery In the South.
90, Tho first rural delivery service
-..staiishrd in the United States was
Octol"r !. 1896" said General De-
shaw. Tho first rural delivery scr
lice established in tho South was on
,ctober 70. 1896. 4; GAINESVILLE, John
INN County. Arkansas. when three
foutcs were put into operation. and
during that fiscal wear several expert
mental rural routes were established
In nearly all Of the other Southern
Stafee.
But. as in all sections vi the conn.
lay. the people Of the South did not
n psakcp TO a realization Of tho benefits
rural delivery until about 1892.
hen the department was literally
"Werwhcimrd with petitions Cor IN"
cy rvicc from nearly every quarter
81 that section. accompanied by Dc
!. I'm nds. expressed individually and
i,puxh Senators and Representa-
- In Congress. that the service BE-
5lishcd q; once. These requests
"S acccded 10 wherever practicable
Well. rs rapidly a. the necessary invcs
IN srons and detailed work would
me an[ Silc. in establishing rural dc,