Arizona republican., 1912-10-04
WRONG SORT
 0F MAIL BOXES
Occasion Delay in Delivery of Mail on Rural Routes; Only Boxes Approved by Postoffice Department Can Be Used

A number of the farmers of the val ley, and residents living on the rural free delivery routes are put out be- cause they do not receive their mail by the rural carrier. Postmaster Nc ClintOck instituted an investigation of the matter and found that all of these were expecting to get their mail in mail boxes of the sort that had not been and are not approved by the postoffice department.
 It is an ironclad rule that no style of box that is not approved by the department can be used for the pur- poses of receiving mail on the rural routes. A further investigation re- Vealed the fact that the people were denied delivery of their mail, because they were using unapproved boxes and had not investigated to see if they could receive their mail in the boxes they had purchased.
 These boxes are often offered for sale in various parts of the country by travelling agents or dealers. and suburbanites are thereby often inn posed upon. The following are the the postoffice department for the delivery of mail in the rural districts, and the boxes into which mail can be put.
 Each person desiring the rural de- livery service must erect at his own cost, and in the manner prescribed by the regulations of the department. a box complying with the following specifications:
 No box shall be approved for use on rural routes which is not provided with a suitable signal, which, although it may be comparatively simple and in- expensive. is durable and so designed and attached as to fully serve the pur- pose of indicating whether or not there is mail in the box.
 Individuals or firms who propose to manufacture rural mail boxes for sale shall submit a sample of the box or boxes, together with a sample of the material of which the box is to be composed, to the fourth assistant post master general, Washington. D. C.. for inspection by a committee designated for the purpose, and if said box or boxes shall be found to conform to the requirements and specified tions of the department the manufacturers will be authorized and required to emboss or stamp in a conspicuous place thereon the words Approved by the postmas- ter general"
 Rural mail boxes and their contents are protected by federal statute from Willful or malicious damage or depre- dation, and postmasters will promptly report to the department depredations on or interference with rural mail boxes. or their contents, which come to their notice, with all the facts ob- tainable in connection herewith.
 The following inscriptions only are permitted to appear on approved boxes, viz:
 (a) The name of owner and number of box
 (b) Name and address of manufac- turer, inconspicuously placed.
 Co The words Approved by the postmaster general" "U. $. mail"
 Each box must be erected by the roadside, so that carrier can easily obtain access to it without deviatine from route or dismounting from his vehicle. The accompanying illustrator shows desirable method of erecting the boxes The arm to which the boxes are attached should be higf enough to permit easy service tc boxes and clear vehicle wheels.
 Postmasters will report to the fourtl assistant postmaster general tht names of all patrons maintaining in appropriate, unsafe and unsuitable boxes, indicating kind and size of box name of manufacturer if known, anC date of erection; also the names O patrons whose boxes are improperl! erected on routes. Service must no
 be withdrawn from any box now be ing served without specific instruc | tiOns from the department Persons neglecting or refusing t. | comply with the conditions herein SC | forth will be regarded as not desir l ing rural delivery and the rural car
 rier will be directed not to serve then More than one family, but not nor 1 than five families. may be permitte 1 to use the same box, provided writ | ten notice of agreement to that eff
 feet, signed by the head of each fam | fly, is filed with the postmaster at tn | distributing office.
 | There are some 200 varieties of ap I proved boxes now in use on the rurS | mail routes of the country