The Washington herald., 1910-05-11
FATHER OF RURAL
DELIVERY RESIGNS
II. Conquest Clarke in Postal
Service Since 1897.

II. Conquest Clarke has rendered his
resignation as assistant superintendent Of
the division Of rural delivery. bureau of
the Fourth Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral. effective June l next Mr.. Clarke
will be succeeded by Robert II. Premier.
who has for several years been chief
clerk 90 the Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Postmaster General Hitchcock
has Designated Robert ". Pinden, Of
Maryland who has for some time been
appointment clerk in the Census Bureau.
as successor 20 Mr.. Prender. and Mr..
Pindell will assume his new duties on
June l.
Respecting Mr.. Clarke's proposed vol
untary retirement, Assistant Postmaster
General De Graw, with whom he has been
associated for many years. referred 10
him as a most highly appreciated and
efficient officer. and said:
Filled Posts SuccessfuIIy.
MIR. Clarke's connection with rural
delivery has been coincident with it's
growth and development. He has sue
cessiveIy filled the positions OF special
agent chief special agent, division super
intendent, and superintendent When he
entered the service in 1877 the Office force
assigned TO rural delivery consisted of
himself and two clerks; the field work
was carried on by two special agents and
forty-four rural carriers. with an apprO-
priauon OF only $4,000 available for the
development Of the service The clerical
force now engaged in the Post-office De-
partment on rural delivery work ex-
clusiyely numbers over 100; there were
4l.0Sg rural carriers in service on the
first OF April last. while the appropria-
ton FOX the maintenance and extension
OF the service last year was So. $50. 600
Prior 10 1897 no favorable mention Of
the possibilities Of rural delivery had
been made in any official report since the
abandonment Of Postmaster General
Wanamaker's plan Of village delivery.
Mr.. Clarke. as special agent. prepared
and laid before Postmaster General Gary
an abstract Of the reports received IN
regard to thS forty-fom original routes.
and submitted that the results obtained
proved conclusively that the experimental
service had rendered benefits far in ex-
cess OF the expenditure invo8ed and that
under wise restrictions II could be con-
tinued and extended with great ad-
vantage, adding a prediction that sooner
or later the United States would have
70 follow the lead Of the more densely
populated countries associated with it in
the Universal Postal Union aud establish
| a delivery service over all the settled
| portions Of its vast domain.
Appropriation was Raised.
1.-THE Postmaster General adopted this re-
| port and laid it before Congress. which
responded by raising the appropriation for
! this purpose 10 $4,000 for the next year,
| 900 for the year after. and thereafter
| by successive increases ranging from one
/ 70 four millions, each year extended the
! the service till the present proportions
/ have been reached.
In all the subsequent development and
/ In shaping the regulations for the early
| government Of the service Mr.. Clarke
/ took an active part, so that he has been
| regarded by his associates as practically
/ the father Of the rural delivery service.