The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-05-11
AT. YOUR
lA DOOR STEP
The Neighborly Service of
the United States
Post Office.
icy Graham Romeyn Taylor. Exclu-
sive Service The Survey
Press Bureau.ll

whether it is the Ietter-carrier's
whistle several times a day along the
residences streets of a city, the rattle OF
wheels as the rural free delivery dri-
yer approaches an outlying farm the
swish OF a paddle twice a week along
some of the Maine rivers, the crack
or the whip as the mail sledge dog
team races into an Alaskan village, or
the steamships blast as she carries the
mail into a Philippine harbor, there is
no more regular and usually more
welcome reminder of the citizens con-
Germ in government service.
Every stamp-coI1ecting boy. can
trace on the pages of his album the
development of the postal service. from
the picture of the ga1loping pony
post on early stamps to the bicycle
boy on the modern special delivery
stamps and the various modern ways
of transporting mail as shown on re-
cent issues particularly designed for
the parcel post. But the last few
years. with their widef extension Of the
rural free delivery, their introduction
of postal savings, and their establish
r1ent of the parcel post, have seen
more progress than any previous de-
cade.
New Post once Methods.
Newspapers and magazines tell al
most every day and week of some new
way in which the parcel post is serv-
Ing the business man or householder.
But experiments with new methods are
by mo means confined to that branch
of the post Office departments activf-
ties There is still and perhaps in
evitab1y In so large an organization,
much red tape which would appear to
hamper the departments greatest use
Eulness. one instance being the reg
uIation against using postage stamps
for small remittances to the. govern
ment.
Perhaps not picturesque par
eel post experiments, but counting for
much in daily efficiency and admins
frative economies. are the short cuts
and new devices which are rapidly be-
ing developed. These new administra-
tive methods are best seen if you get
q. chance to observe them at work in
one of the more progressive local post
lofhces, some of which are definitely re-
garded as TRY OUT places for1innoya-
fions.
The local post Office in the city OF
Washington is rendering especial SER
vice in this respect. and for very good
reasons; 1t is situated where the post
111aster-genera1 and other high officials
of the service can be in close touch
and other highsohcia1s of the service
can be In close touch and consultation;
It has recently been equipped with one
OF the finest and most up-to-date post
office buildings in the country.
The new post Office ait Washington
costing $3,00O,OOo, Is a. notable addi-
Affon to the imposing. architecture OF
the capital But its modern equipment
and arrangement make its efficiency
quite as impressive. There is, for ex-
ample, an intricate system of moving
belts. Installed at a cost OF nearly
$500, goo. for the distribution of mail
'.Farm-to- Table" Service.
Modern appliances, including the In
a4aMation of a refrigerator for perish
able matter in the parcel post, helped
greatly in the successful development
of the 'farm-to-table'' service of the
post Office,
While eggs. butter and poultry seem
to furnish the main volume of bust
ness, almost every other farm product
finds its way through the parcel post
fruits and vegetables in season, pre-
serves and jellies, meats, honey, etc
Some farmers are making a speciality
of dinner hampers containing every
thing from turked to apples,
The pick up service for parcels
which was started in Washington is
greatly appreciated by residents of the
District ANY householder can te1e-
phone the Washington post office in
the morning that he has g. package fol
&zs parcel post. BY afternoon, col.
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