Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1910-02-12
NIMOCKS SHOWS
FARMERS The Way
POSTMASTER URGES RURAL
ROUTE PATRONS TO BUY
STAMPS AND GET SERVICE
is DEPARTMENT ORDER
Custodian Of Postofflce Here Writes
Letter to Residents of County
Pointing Out the
Requirements.
is DEPARTMENT ORDER

!
tunlwa postoff1ce, and Postmaster r.
A. Nimocks has taken up the cry with
the hope that better service will re-
suit on the routes lying outside the
| corporate limits. War has been de-
clared upon the practice of rural route
patrons putting pennies in the mail
boxes, and the department in recent
order states that the carrier is not
obliged to collect the little coppers
for postage. Postmaster Nimocks has
written all the residents living on
rural routes the following letter:
In letter received from the fourth
assistant postmaster general, dated
January rs, 1910, find among other in
structions the following:
Commencing February 18th, 1910.
rural route letter carriers will not be
required to collect loose coins from
the rural mail boxes
There are many good reasons for
this and | will be glad to explain them
| in detail to you when you are in the
city if you will come into my Office.
Sometimes our nine rural carriers
bring in as high as three hundred pen
MES collected from the routes. If
twelve cents is found in mail box
and seven letters, where will the car
rier get his extra two cents? He has
to furnish it.
This is not the worst trouble In
stormy weather, in winter and in the
| rainy season, it becomes great in
convenience when you remember we
have to collect from over twelve hun
dred boxes.
Now there is an easy way for you
to help us in the matter ana at the
same time help yourself.
Buy From the Carrier.
| Buy from the carrier a quantity of
| stamped envelopes. The government
sells them cheaper than any firm or
individual and does it only to encour-
age their use.
These envelopes have return card
| printed in the upper left hand corner,
also a place for your name so that the
letter will be returned 10 you in case
1t is not delivered.
Buying stamped envelopes Is much
cheaper than buying stamps and then
buying the blank envelopes For illus
tration, you can buy fifty stamped en-
velopes (number five, the regular busi-
ness size) for s1.07 The stamps on
these fifty envelopes cost, as you
know, $1.O0, SO the envelopes and the
printed return card combined only
cost Z cents-which is about one
words, seven envelopes for one cent.
Can you buy any kind Of envelopes
this cheap?
| THE government does not make a
cent on this stamped paper, but is
trying to encourage the use Of the
same to increase the use OF the return
card and to save the carriers the trou-
BILE of fishing the loose pennies out of
the boxes.
"I give you herewith the price of
stamped envelopes and want you to
| help in this matter by making ar
rangements with the carriers to bring
them to you. Buy supply of either
fifty or one hundred and If any of
them become soiled or defaced by
your writing wrong address we will
redeem them for you. You don't lose
by buying stamped paper.
"The carrier will redeem your
stamped envelopes which are soiled or
defaced, at the face value Of the stamp
thereon.
"If you can use as high as 500, the
government will print your name on
the envelopes and give the number of
your route, etc, free Of charge, and the
500 envelopes will only cost you out
side of the postage, sixty-two cents.
Envelopes are Reasonable.
"I am anxious to improve the service
for you, but want your help when you
can help so easily.
Don't see how few you can buy, but
buy enough to last while.
Prices of the number five ordinary
sized business envelope are as fol
lows:
1000 envelopes No. 5 $21.24
500 envelopes No. 5 ........ 1852
$50 envelopes No. 5 .... 5.31
100 envelopes No. ........ 2.13
80 envelopes No. ..... 1.O7
25 envelopes No. .... .54