The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-30
DAILY NAIL BY RURAL DELIVERY.

DAAbA u1aIL bh RURAL OEL1t Ely.
venience to the people and to the coun-
try merchants"
Cheap Postage for Foreigners.
GAS 1t is now Mr.. De Graw. a mer-
chant living in London or Berlin. can
send, goods through our mails more
cheaply than though he had branch
office in New York and sent his goods
from there. can he not?"
THAT is true" was the reply. "Ac-
cording to the present arrangements
all fourth-class matter posted at any
ono place in the United States to any
other place therein costs L cent an
ounce or l6 cents q pound and the limit
of weight is four pounds. The New
York agent of the London firm. If he
sent the goods by mail from New York.
would have to divide them up into four
pound packages. and II they were full
weight pay "a cents for each such
package, and should he wish to ship
eleven pounds, he would have to put
them into three different packages,
ono of which might be three pounds.
and the whole eleven pounds would
cost him S1.f6. On the other hand,
suppose the London merchant shipped
direct from his house in London. He
could then put the eleven pounds in
one package, provided that package
was not more than three feet six
inches long, and could send It for IL
cents q pound, or for Sl.31. For this
sum he could mail 1t to San Francisco.
Los Angeles or any part of the United
States. If he sent four-pound pack
age from London instead OF its cost
ing him "a cents 1t would cost him 4S
cents. and II two pounds, "a cents in
stead of 80 cents. which would be the
rate If mailed in the United States.
Similar rates prevail for the shipment
OF articles from here to foreign coun-
tries. it being much cheaper to send
the same article from Chicago to Cairo
or Calcutta than from Chicago to New
York. In the one case the merchandise
goes by the International parcels post
| rate at IL cents a pound and In the
other at our domestic rate, which Is
16 cents pound"
| The Rural Delivery and the News
"What has the rural delivery done
for the press OF the United States?"
| 1 asked.
1T has increased the circulation of
| the newspapers to all enormous ex-
tent, It has made the farmer a daily
subscriber and has led to the build
ing UP of small dailies all over the
country. The farmers are the real
| thinkers OIL the - UltcO SlateSr ana since
the rural delivery has been established
they have been doing more thinking
than ever. They are more careful
readers than tho city people. They go
through the papers column by column.
| reading the news articles and not
merely the headlines. They study the
editorials. and the result of their
thinking to see in the letters which
come here to Washington and to Con-
gress. We have had to discontinue
some of our routes. and in such cases
we find that the most strenuous pro-
| tests come from those who are thus
prevented from daily receiving their
favorite newspapers"
Working for Road Improvement
Another important thing that the
rural mail service is accomplishing"
said the fourth assistant postmaster
general, "is connected with the roads
of the country. We are now working
with the Agricultural Departmental
Bureau of Road Improvement. and are