Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-10-17
RURAL POSTAL.
ROUTES REACH
ALL JEFFERSON
Uncle Sam Aids in Bringing
Rural Resident in Close
Touch with City.

United States mail service of the
highest standard thoroughly covers all
the country within radius of ten
miles Of the Pine Bluff postoffice
there being five rural route carries
engaged in this service, in addition to
the very large number of persons who
obtain their mail by other means lust
as satisfactory.
| The rural routes reaching from the
Pine Bluff postoffice aggregate 1876
miles in length. There are six routes,
four having daily carriers service and
two with tri-weekly service. These
latter will be given the daily service
according to the regulations of the
postoffice department, as soon as the
number OF patrons reaches the fig
ures set by the department as the mini
mum required for such daily service.
Sixteen mail trains reach Pine Bluff
each "a hours, on the several roads
entering the city land as a result, the
mail service here takes rank with that
of any city of approximately this size
in the entire country. The trains ar
rive and depart at such hours as to
make the service of particular adj
vantage of the opportunities to dis
pose of eggs, butter, poultry and other
agricultural products through the par
eel post. at
Pine Bluff itself has excellent postal
afcitlities. The federal building, erect
ed about ten years ago at cost of
$S5 700, is the center of the system,
and there are four sub-stations. The
entire lower floor of the federal build
ing is devoted to the postoffice bust
ness, the upper floor being divided
into offices for the United States COM
missioner, pension examiner, post
office inspector, civil service examin-
ers and other government officers.
The postoffice has monthly pay
roll of approximately $3,250, and the
force consists Of Postmaster John Will
bourne, Assistant Postmaster C. E.
Duval, Superintendent of Mails B. c..
Wallis, thirteen clerks, thirteen car
riers and one special delivery mess
enger, in addition to the five rural
route carriers.
Postal savings deposit sat the Pine
Bluff postoffice aggregate approx
mately $4,000. Receipts at the post
office the past four years ,are as fol-
lows, the figures being for the gov
eminent postoffice years, which end
March 81.
1913-$53,O25.80.
1914-$60, 240.90.
1915-$56, 607.28.
1916-$55 $685..
The year 1915 recorded quite de-
crease in receipts, this being due to
the advent of prohibition in this coun-
ty, causing the removal from the city
of several wholesale liquor houses,
each Of which had been accustomed to
spend considerable sums for stamps to
be placed on the thousands and thou
sands of circular letters sent out over
the surrounding country, in the chan
nels fthat particular trade. The
year 1914 had recorded a big jump in
receipts, due to the advent of the par
eel post, which had Immediately be-
come popular, hence the sudden drop
when the saloons closed, made condi-
tions appear just so much the more
apparent. The parcel post business
lost its novelty, however, and soon
settled into steady line, and local
postoffice officials express the opin-
ion that never before have conditions
in this immediate section shown such
healthy and generally satisfactory i'm
provement and growth.