Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-11
JAPANESE ARE BUSY T0Po|NT OUT ROADS
Plan to Utilize Rural Delivery
Letter Boxes.
AID TO AUTOMOBILES
Mr.. De Graw Suggests Posts Be
Painted White, With Town
Names in Black.

Posts which support the rural delivery
letter boxes throughout the country are
to be utilized as guide posts for auto
mobilists and those who travel other
than by steamboat and railway lines, If
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General P.
V. De Graws suggestions to postmasters
and patrons of rural routes are carried
out.
For some time past-indeed since he
came into Office, at the suggestion of then
Postmaster General Cortelyou-Mr. De
Graw has been working in season and
out of season TO secure uniformity in the
kind of boxes provided by rural residents
for their mail 1t is a work that has re-
quired considerable diplomacy, for in
some quarters, as soon as a suitable box
was proposed a howl of graft" went up
But the great ma jority of rural resi-
dents now are beginning to understand
that for the protection of their own mail,
quite as much as to maintain the dignity
and sanctity of the government service
which has put them on a par with dwell
ers in the cities, the departments sug-
gestions are wise and worthy of careful
consideration.
Circulars to Postmasters.
CircularsN have been widely sent out
to postmasters from whose Offices rural
routes are served, as well as those whose
offices are not far distant therefrom. in
forming them that it is the desire of the
department that all patrons OF rural de-
livery be urged to set up neat posts to
which their mail boxes should be attach
ed, and to paint both boxes and posts
white. This, 1t Is argued, will tend to
secure uniformity and at the same time
to serve notice that the box is under the,
protection of the laws which regulate
the mail service of Uncle Sam
In addition to this. the patrons are
urged to paint their names and box num-
bers in black letters two inches high on
the boxes. This will serve the same pur-
pose as the front door plate in the city
and make it easy to find any patron liv
ing along the line Of a rural route in the
country.
Furthermore. the postmasters are asked
to endeavor to induce county and other
officials to paint on the posts supporting
the boxes located at crossroads the names
of the towns or villages to which the
roads lead and an arrow indicating the
direction. 1t will not be permitted to at
tach signs to the posts, but the guiding
directions are to be painted in black let
tiers on the posts. AS the posts to which
the mail boxes are to be attached must
be set in an easily accessible position at
the side of the road and the boxes be at
tached to a projecting arm of wood.
where iron brackets are not used, the
posts will furnish all the requirements for
a guide post by which automobiliSts and
other travellers unfa milfar with the coun-
try may find their way to the destinations
they seek
Postmastey's Novel Idea.
Mr.. De Graw said yesterday that the
postmaster at Kenton. Ohio. had adopted
a novel way of arousing the interest OF
rural delivery patrons in service that
was costing the government many mil
lions of dollars yearly by sending out
calls for meetings at centrally located
pojnts along the routes and then talking
matters over with them. In this way,
he said the interest OF the patron was
being aroused and substantial results
usually followed. Special pains were be-
ing taken to see that the roads were
kept in good condition and a rural pride
was being aroused which promised well
for the future. The meetings, he said,
usually had an attendance running from
40 to 1875 and the discussions were often
quite interesting.
1--WE want our rural posts and boxes.
said Mr.. De Graw, Ito look as though
they really represented government
service This will do more to protect
them from marauders than anything ese
Then, again, with the names OF the box
owners and the town and village guide
directions in plain view one can md his
way as easily on country rural route
az in the city. where numbers and door
plates on the houses and street names
on the lamp posts are Indispensable 10
strangers in finding their way