The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-23
Splendid Record Made By
u. S. Postal Department

of this new feature Of public accom-
mediation, supplying the need of peo-
pie who were not included in either
city or rural delivery, marks "a pro-
gressive step in postal improvements
which has met with general satisfac-
tion AMI will prove of great benefit to
patrons who are now being given the
service. Two hundred and seventeen
small municipalities are already en-
jcying these free-delivery advantages,
and the number will be rapidly in
creased.
Rural delivery. New routes have
been established and extended in over
ten thousand localities, affording serv-
ice to approximately 100000 patrons
previously without it, The number of
families who now have this service
amounts to 5,719,6O2, as shown by
recent tabulation made, of which over
$4,000 were added between April,
remarkable activity in the manage
ment of this branch of postal affairs
as gratifying to the Department as it
must be to those who are it's benefici.
aries. Rural delivery now accommo
dates 26,307,6S5 patrons, and the de.
livery by automobile and other means
OF conveyance shows an increase of
lL4S4,4O8 parcels in the past three
years.
I The inclusion of books in parcel.
post classification is another advanced
step for public benefit, materially re-
duclng postage on such matter. an
item of considerable interest to read
ing people.
The Objectionable use to which win
dow-delivery service may be subjected
has led to an active and vigorous cam.
paign by the Department to check the
possibility of making this public &C.
commodation a channel for unworthy
purposes. This particular service
offers such opportunity for misuse
that special supervision is necessary
to prevent it, and this will be given.
One thousand new steel cars have
been placed on the lines of the Rail-
way Mail Service for the protection of
postal clerks and liability law enact
ed for the relief of employees engaged
in this hazardous service. Mail trans.
portation has also been increased on
6,24S.09 miles of railway.
The question of the betterment of
the road problem has been considered
and taken up by cooperation with the
Department of Agriculture and with
the States and counties in the contruc-
ton of post roads, which is expected
to result in continued Improvement.
and facilitate to a great extent the
work of the rural carrier in travelling
these roads.
The large post offices of the country
have been standardized, and new and
up-to-date methods adopted by which
better and more efficient service can
be secured. The advantage of this is
seen in the rapid accomplishment of
the annual audit of the revenue and
expense of the Department for the
present fiscal year. the earliest report
ever made in the history of the Post
Office Department which is entirely
due to improved systems of account
ing and the high standard of efficiency
among postmasters.
Great economies in the purchase
and manufacture of mail equipment
have been carried out, whereby vast
sums of money are annually saved to
the Government-over 100000 an
nually by. the reduction of weight in
equipment for railway transportation.
The fraud-law statutes to prevent
the use of the mails for swindling pur- |
poses have been vigorously enforced
and will be continued for the public !
protection.
More than s1,O00,OO0 have been
saved on a four-year contract for sup
plying the Government with stamped |
envelopes, and competition has been
encouraged and secured in awarding