Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-30

have had to discontinue some of routes, and in
such find that the most strenuous protests
come from those who are thus prevented from daily
receiving their favorite newspapers.
Working for Road improvement.
Another important thing that the rural mail serV-
ice accomplishing said the fourth assistant post
master general SIS connected with the roads Of the
country. We working with the Agricultural
Departmental Bureau of Road Improvement, and
insisting good roads wherever the mails
ried. We refuse to grant route until the roads have
been put into shape, and If they become impossible
in such a condition that the delivery cannot be
easily continued them insist that they be
paired say that the service will be discontinued.
In this work assisted by the road officials of
many of the states who send out to each rural carrier
blank containing questions to be answered to the
conditions of the roads which he travels
HE is asked to report to the materials Of which
they composed to the condition of their bridges
and to how they worked
1.-THE state of Indiana, for instance, has made a
law that all the highways along the rural delivery
routes must be kept passabe condition year
round. neglect to comply with this law after FIVE
days notice Is punishable by fine of from 81 to $25
per day, which is levied the locality Other states
are considering similar laws, and by these means
teral improvements being made in the roads of
the country.
"As it is now our carriers are going daily over
nearly million miles Of roadway, and we have now
instructed the postmasters at the rural delivery
Offices to send in detailed reports concerning these
roads So far find that only $4,000 miles of them
of macadam, the remainder being of earth, sand
or gravel. The reports show that since the rural
delivery service established than $40 0OO-
600 has been expended the traversed by our
carriers, and glad to say that road ocias
and people generally doing much put the roads
into better shape for the service. In the last year
more work has been done such public highways
than in other year since the rural delivery was
started and our reports indicate that general inter-
est in road improvement is being manifested through
out the country"
Passing Of the Small Postoflces.
docs not the rural delivery do away with many
Of the smaller postofHces?" asked
They have been discontinued by the thousand
There is necessity for many such Offices with an
efficient rural carrier service The carrier is not a
collector and distributor of the mail; his wagon
is miniature postofce wheels, often containing
compartments for stamps Of the denominations in
general use and stamped envelopes and postal cards.
he has the authority to sell these as to register
letters delivered to him which may contain money or
other valuable matter. In some places he is au-
horzed to exchange currency for money orders sent
by the people his route and he delivers registered
letters and special delivery mail to the individuals
taking their signatures therefor. If farmer wishes
to mail letter and has stamps he can leave tho
amount to prepay the postage the let
ter in the box and the carrier must stamp It. short
the service is far possible what have described
it-a little postofHce wheels"
Making Road Maps OF the United States
What else is your division doing, Mr. De Graw?"
"As TO this DIVISION" said the fourth assistant
postmaster general 1T does considerable outside the
rural delivery service We have to do with all the
dead letter mail, which last year amounted to over
1000, 600 pieces, of which opened returned
to their owners than 100000. We have a
force of 176 clerks. under Colonel James r. Young
who do nothing but handle dead letters and packages
which have been too badly addressed to be delivered
That alone is quite a chore
But outside that, and more directly connected
with the rural delivery service, is the division OF
topography; this is little appreciated except here in
the department but it is important cog in our ma
chnery; it collects, complies and publishes all the
geographical information required by the service in
Guiding the plating of existing postofices and the
mail routes This information is embodied in post
route maps and in blue prints. We have 500 such
maps in the department here and they have to be
corrected to date every month In addition we have
about 23 900 special diagrams which are intended
for the railway mail service, and we have TO draft
maps of the counties where the complete rural de-
livery service has beer established We made 275
maps OF that kind last year; these maps are OF
great value not only TO the department but TO out
sders; they used by business firms and private
individuals and sold at Just per cent over the
cost OF printing the proceeds going making more
maps. Indeed we have plenty to do"
FRANK q. CARPENTER.