Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-01-27
SOME OF THE BENEFITS
Which Have Grown Out Of Rural
Free Delivery.

No branch Of our public service has
Aeen so well developed and improved
i'm the same length of time as rural
free delivery. About Il years ago it
sassed the experimental stage and
was made a permanent part Of our
postal system. And to-day there is
scarcely locality in the entire coun-
try, where the roads and the popu-
lation will justify, that is not covered
by this splendid system.
Under the old arrangement the far
mer was compelled to go to the post
sffice to receive his mail; and often,
during the busy season, when teams
were being used upon the farm, a
week, or sometimes more than a
week, would elapse before he Or any
of his family would get to the post
office. But to-day there are beins
delivered to the rural inhabitants
more than 100000 pieces Of mail
every day,
Before rural free delivery was es-
tablished the number of daily news
sapers received and read by the far
mer were few indeed To-day there
is scarcely O. farm home without it's
daily paper and some Of our best per
isdicals. AS an educational benefit
rural free delivery is second only to
that Of our public school system.
The farmer being his own sales
MAN as well as a producer, it is very
essential that he should be familiar
with the prices of things produced
upon his farm. And by taking ad-
vantage of this opportunity which is
NOW afforded him he may receive a
daily market paper which gives him
the prices and quotations of stock
and produce, and, in fact, the chang
Tag value of everything that is raised
UPON the farm. This enables him to
market his products to far greater ad-
vantage, and has certainly been a
great financial benefit to him.
Rural free delivery has greatly inn
proved our road conditions, our gov
eminent wisely insisting that the
roads over which we are compelled tC
travel shall be kept in the best pos
sible condition. And the farmer, not
wishing to be deprived of his daily
mail, has taken this matter up
through his commissioners and road
supervisors. The roads have been so
greatly benefited and improved that
it has not only lightened our burdens.
but 1t enables him to market his
products with much more ease.
This has not only been benefit to
the farmer and the carrier, but when
YOU take into consideration the large
amount of public road that is daily
traversed by the carrier. you will
rightly conclude that it has been a
great benefit to the entire public.
We have in this country approx
nately 10000 rural letter carriers, all
of whom were formerly engaged in
other pursuits. Many Of them were
farmers; many came from the stores,
who were formerly clerks; many from
the workshops-until almost every
vocation is represented in the rural
letter carrier body.
Now, when they took up these 49,
eco newly created jobs they left va
cant 1000 other jobs to be filled by
the unemployed of this country. Our
Government certainly had in mind
the great benefit rural free delivery
would be to the laboring class.
We receive an annual salary of
$500. Some Of US do not get quite
that much; but when we consider
that we are given an annual leave
Of absence Of Is days on full pay and
that during that time our substitutes
receive the same salary that we re-
ceiVe. | think I am safe in saying
that the average amount paid to
maintain a route is at least 5000.
which means that we receive in the
aggregate 100000 for our compen-
satiOn.
This is certainly an enormous sum
of money-so large that it is almost
beyond our comprehension; and the
first thought might lead one to be
lieve that we will eventually become
identified with that class of beings
commonly known as Plutocrats. But
if a rural carrier should ever be
come Pluttocrat it would be nee
essary for him to find another Job
What becomes of all this money
Who are the ones most greatly ben
Gifted by it's distribution?
1t has been said that we own go,
geo head of horses. | do not believe
this to be over-estimated, as practic
ally every carrier owns two horses
many of them own three-and fire
quently the road conditions are sucl
that one is compelled to keep four, i
he properly discharges his duties a: