The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-08-17
MEASURES OF REFORM INTRO
DuCED AND CARRIED OUT.
SERVICE GIVEN TO 65S,OOO ADDI-
TIONAL FAMILIES.

who had made his mark IN public life
and left the impress of his personality
upon the records of his time. William
l.. Wilson was the idol of his party in
West Virginia and a great and com
manding figure in the arena of ma
tional life. The people of his district
delighted to do him honor, as success
giye elections to Congress testified,
and President Cleveland rewarded the
splendid fight he made for tariff re-
form by seat in his cabinet, the po-
sition of Postmaster General
When the body of this distinguished
man was laid to rest at his home III
Charles Town, ex-President Cleveland
paid him the distinguished honor OF
attending in person the funeral cire-
monies at his grave. At the close OF
a most touching and impressive adj
dress by the pastor, who DIV cit upon
his many engaging personal qualities,
his public and private virtue, the
tears coursed down the cheeks of Mr..
Cleveland, deep and silelt tribute to
the man he loved and whose loss he
SO greatly deplored.
The Beginning OF Rural Delivery and
Its Progress.
William l.. Wilson was the 4ather OF
rural delivery, whose berotita no one
can fully describe, for il is without
question the most popular admil.ls-
tratiye measure of the Gov rnmcnt.
For years there had been a growing
discomfort among farmers and the
people in the smaller towns at The
postal advantages affordele Tie cities
and the more populous communities.
They felt themselves deprived of the
opportunities and benefits which OH.
ers enjoyed, and the desire for recos-
milton was outspoken and !nslsttnt
and could no longer be denied. On
June 8, 1896, the sum of $4,000 WIS
made available, and on October l.
1896, the first experimental ural de-
livery was put into operation in JEFF
ferson county, West Virginia. Service
' as established on three rou es Sim
ultaneously, one from Charles Town,
one from Uville and one from Hall
town.
At the close of business June 30,
1915, there were in operation from
1888 postoffices throughout the
country 43,S77 rural routes. Up to
and including June 80, 1915, 26,O60
postofiices were discontinued on ac-
count of the establishment of rural
delivery, representing a saving to the
postal service of $1,613,000 per an
mum and also saving of S3,4S2,O tO
on account Of the discontinuance OF
star route service. The period OF
greatest activity in the rural service
was from 1900 to 1905, the appropria-
lions running from $450,000 in 1900 u
S21, 10000 in 1905.
Steps Taken TO Extend and Improve
the Service.
This administration has recognized
the value of the postal service to the
people to a greater extent within the
past three years than for any similar
period during the last decade. Mail
facilities have been established and
extended on mail routes in more than
ten thousand localities, giving service
to approximately 100000 patrons
heretofore denied this benefit. Six
hundred and fifty-eight thousand fam
lilies were added to the list from
April, 1913, to April 1916. The elm
ination of useless and wasteful meth
DDS have made it possible to do this
and also pay out $4,000,000 more to
employees at an actual increased cos,
of less than $1,500,000 per annum.
For twenty years there had been no
REIMBURSEMENT of vast amount of ru-
raj service. 1t was allowed to remain
exactly as experimentally established.
Consequently all sorts OF special priv
ilege had crept in and was found eX
listing, such as double daily service tt
favored localities, unnecessary re-
traces to one family and not to all,
duplication of travel by two or more
carriers over single highway, only
one of whom performed service there
on, and many other similar forms OF
waste and extravaganza. There was
also neglect shown as to the value OF
the work performed by the carriers.
They were paid solely upon the miles
OF road covered, regardless of the
character thereof the equipment nee
essary, the amount of mail carried or
the hours of service rendered. This
was as unjust and discriminatory in
the payments made as it was in the
distribution Of mail facilities. Both
needed remedy and the remedy was
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