Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-11

II. Conquest Clarke, assistant superin
tendent of the rural delivery service of
the Post Office Department, has rendered
his resignation, to take effect June !.
Robert H. Prender. for some years chief
clerk to the fourth assistant postmaster
general, has been appointed to succeed
him.
Mr.. Clarke, in rendering his resignation
to Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
De Graw. wrote as follows:
II regret to sever my connection with
a service with which 1 have been asso-
ciated since it's inception, but. after more
than forty-five years of active work in
newspaper and official life, I feel I am
entitled to rest and take it easy for the
balance of my term
The letter closes with an expression of
thanks for much courtesy shown the
writer.
Mr.. CIarke's separation from the serv-
ice is entirely voluntary, and comes after
many years of active. efficient and re-
sultful service. Fourth Assistant Past
master General P. V. De Graw regards
him as really the father of the rural de-
livery service and paid him high tribute
for faithful and efficient work.
mfr. Clarke's connection with rural de-
livery has been coincident with it's
STOWtn anu OeSclOpIueHt, OC vi dW
said today. He has successfully filled
the positions of special agent, chief
special agent, division superintendent and
superintendent When he entered the
service in 1897 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 appropriation Of
only $4,000 available fort the development
Of the service.
Increase in Force.
Post Office Department on rural delivery
work exclusively numbers more than one
hundred: there were 41,OsO rural carriers
in the service on the LIST of April last,
and the appropriation for the mainte-
nance and extension of the service last
year was $37. 100000.
prior to 1897 no favorable mention of
the possibilities of rural delivery has been
made in any official report since the aban-
donment OF Postmaster General Wanna
makers 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 the fOrty-four original routes and SUBJ
mitted that the results obtained proved
conclusively that the experimental service
had rendered benefits far in excess of the
expenditure involved and that under wise
reStrlctlOnS IL cOulQ De continued anu
extended with great advantage.
His Report Adopted.
Gle added the prediction that sooner
or later the United States would have
to follow the lead of the more densely
populated countries associated with it in
the universal postal union and establish
a delivery service over all the settled
portions of it's vast domain. The Post
master General adopted this report and
laid it before Congress, which responded
by raising the appropriation for this pur
pose to $4,000 for the next year, $780,
COO for the year after, and thereafter, by
successive increases ranging from one to
four millions each year, the service was
extended till its present proportions were
reached.
I'm 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 free delivery serv-
ice.