The midland journal., 1916-08-04

personality upon the r0cOTuS OIL HIS
time. William L. Wilson was the
idol or his party in West Virginia
and great and commanding figure
in the arena of national life. The
people of his district delighted to
do him honor, as successive elections
to Congress testified, and President
Cleveland rewarded the splendid
fight he made for tariff reform by
seat in his cabinet, the position of
Postmaster General.
The Beginning of Rural Delivery and
Its Progress.
William L. Wilson was the, father
OF rural delivery, whose benefits no
one can fully describe, for it is with
out question the most popular adj
ministration measure of the Govern
ment. For years there had been
growing discomfort among farmers
and the people in the smaller towns
at the postal advantages afforded the
cities and the more populous COM
munities. They felt themselves de-
prived Of the opportunity and benee
fits which others enjoyed, and the
desire for recognition was outspoken
and insistent and could no. longer be
denied. On June 9, 1896, the sum
of $4,000 was made available, and
on October /, 1896, the first experi+
mental rural delivery was put into
operation in Jefferson County, West
Virginia. Service was established
on three routes simultaneously, one
from Charles Town, one from Uvi1la,
and one from HalltoMn.
At the close of business June 80,
1915, there were in operation from
1881 post Offices throughout the
country 43,877 rural routes. Up to
and including June 80, 1915, 26,080
post offices were discontinued on ac-
count of the establishment of rural
delivery, representing saving to the
postal service of $1,613,000 per
annum and also saving of $3,482,-
900 on account of the discontinuance
of star-route service. The period of
greatest activity in the rural service
was from 1900 to 1905, the approS
priations running from $450,00O in
1900 to 21,116,OOO 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 2,5O0,00O patrons
heretofore denied this benefit. Six
hundred and fifty-eight thousand
families were added to the list from
April. 1913, to April, 1916. The
elimination of useless and wasteful
methods have made it possible to do
this and also pay out $4,000,000
more to employees at an actual in
creased cost of less than $1,500,00
per annum.
The Policy and Purpose of the De-
partment.
1t has been the policy and the pur-
pose of this administration to make
of the rural delivery and it's partner
in public benefit, the parcel post, all
that its most sanguine projectors
hoped to accomplish. The Post
master General is deeply Interested
in both, and has used to the utmost
the great powers of his Office and his
personal influence as we'll to promote
in every possible way these two great
factors in our national life. He
wants the man away from the great
er advantages of commercial oppor-
tunity to have an equal chance with
his more favored brother in the
cities, and gain for his industry,
whatever it may be, the fullest meas
ure of benefit that government can
bestow. To this end the energies
of the wisest counsels sought, and
tuC 6tCdtCoL RCIoOuuA dLJSllIiOA 6lNCAs
AS important postal centers provide
an easy market for the products of
the farm and the rate of postage is
reduced by the extension of local
zones, motor delivery was established
whereby exchange was stimulated
between producer and consumer,
and both alike benefited. Delivery
zones from these important centers
will be, and have been, doubled;
still others established, and the
families tributary to these centers
thus enabled to take full advantages
Of this enlarged opportunity to
maket the products of their industry
to the best advantage.
The administration expects to
greatly widen and still further inn
prove this public benefit and advan-
tage until all sections and all locali-
ties where rural service can be made