Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-02-01
THE PATRONS DUTF TO THE RU.
RAJ MAIL SIRyICE.

To those persons who depend on
the rural mail carries for their mail,
the following clippinglfrom the R. F.
d. News, sent US by carrier in this
county, should prove of interest, and
should also tend to eliminate some of
the disagreeable and annoying fea-
lures connected with the work of the
carrier
This is what the News says:
The growth of the rural free de-
livery system has bsen phenomenal.
There has never been a branch of
public service that has reached so
many people and given such general
satisfaction. The service started Is
years ago as an experiment with 83
routes, serving abou 10000 persons.
It's growth was instantaneous. 1t fill
ed long felt and much needed want
and the service was rapidly extended
until now there ars almost $4,000
routes which serve more than 20,000,-
600 people:
Formerly the farmer who read a
daily paper must either farm by proxy
or live in the shadows of the post
office. Now almost every farmer
takes from one to three papers and is
better posted on the news of the day
than any other classof men on earth.
This great change has not been
brought about without vast expendi-
ture of money by the Government
and energy on the Iart of the $4,000
carriers who make it possible. Its
cost in money is about $42, 100000 per
year or about $500 for each patron
served.
Some people may say this is extra
vagance. On the other hand it has
been proved to be a great saving as
we'll as convenience to the ruralite
Suppose the same result were brought
about by each family getting their
own mail, not once a week as formerly
but every day, rain or shine. The
average carrier serves from go to 100
families for 1920. How much would
it cost for from so to 100 men and
teams to wend their way to the post
office each day to get their mail? Do
you think they could do it for 8 cents
per family or twice what the carrier
receives? 1t is admitted that this SER
vice is given to the farmer for at
least one half what it would otherwise
cost him to get his mail
In consideration of the great bene-
fits derived the patrons of rural routes
owe to the service four things.
First. They. owe it the best roads
that their county, State and the auto
owners are willing to pay for. They
elect the trustees and the law COM
pels them to have all the mail roads
in good condition, and dragged after
each rain but forbids their doing the
work themselves, in fact, they could
not collect one cent for it by law.
Then when the trustee tries to do his
duty by getting them to drag the
roads they inform him that they are
too busy and cannot do it. There is
on record that one good trustee re-
fused to stand for reelection on ac-
count of the obligations that were put
on him of which the patrons refused
to do their share and thus pay their
obligations to the r F. d. Service
Second. They owe to the service a
good, well broken road after each
snow storm, and to have it broken to
their box also, so that the carrier
cannot only reach their place but can
also reach all the patrons on the
route before dark.
In some places the farmers have a
regular system of breaking the roads
after a storm. Each farmer starts at
his home and goes to the third neigh
Dor in the direction the carrier goes,
then turns around and goes back home
in time to meet the carrier there. If
all would do that way they would be
pretty sure to get their mail every
day, and would not need to work
nearly as hard as the carrier or his
horses either.
Third. They owe to the service the
best box they can buy, and to have it
put up on good smooth, painted post.
Fourth. They owe to the service to
buy stamps and put them on the mail
themselves, not because the carrier is
a crusty unreasonable crank, but be-
cause it will better the service and
cost them nothing. 1t is no easy mat
ter for the carrier to pick up pennies
with his fitten on or to take off his
mittens from hands already nearly
frozen and fish around in the snow
for his patrons pennies.
If patrons of rural routes would do
their part by observing these simple
rules the daily life of the rural mail
carrier would be full of sunshine and
roses.
Mad Dog at Barnsboro.
Last Sunday a suspicious looking