"THE FARMERS' POST OFFICE."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 757, 4 March 1910, Page 2

"THE FARMERS' POST OFFICE."

4 TO BE ADOPTED IN NEW ZEALAND.^ Among the many ideas garnered' by the Secretary for the Post and Telegraph Dipartment (Mr. Donald Robertson) during his recent globe-encircling trip, was a contrivance known as the King Edward Rural Delivery Mail Box, or what is more generally known in America af the "Farmer's Post : Office." At,the pre.', sent time a good proportion of the rural, population of New. .Zealand have to ride or..drive, miles to get their mails fromthe nearest post office, though they may reside. within a stone's throw of a road , " traversed by the coaches or horses 'of a ' mail-contractor (there.are few roads" that : are not traversed at.some time during - ■the-wcekJjjr mail contractors or their agents). . l'his.is. a great inconvenience, • and one that is now to be remedied tP . » some extent, at all events. ' ' •'■ • The "Parmer's Post Office" is an ingenious contrivance, which in the land ' ot its adoption-Canada—is sold to far' ■ mors for about 12s. Gd. It consists of an iron standard, fitted at the top with runners or. rollers, on which a rod not unlike a.length of angle iron runs, te ~ the end' ot which a galvanised iron bos is attached on -a swivel. The box is <=o balanced on this travelling rod, that no' ■ matter how it.is left, it will swing to , one sido of the. standard ore the other, leaving the rod parallel, with the . road!- .' .liie box is simply a'..weather-proof re- " ceptacle for mail matter. It rests' on a swivel in order to tell Us owner or the '. madman, that it contains something. .' to show this the box is left at right , angles to the rod. , When, empty if Res Parallel to Lt. The apparatus is uOTally attached to a wooden' post, by .the Iroad- • side, and placed inst high enough for a wiH^f° n I . orscbac k ■"• in'a trap to reach th,'^ Ut .i, dIS - moun t t - ,ne - •r Mr thinks the mvention-tho thought of a - ■ letter-carrier in Georgia-will be found : ' oi. great convenience , to 'farmers, and where they take kindly to tho new idea every eiiur will be ma-le' to clear and '«™ by OSB haviD S a roads s « r "oe who pass ; along.tha Jv»« he repo r t \° Parliament o* obabroad Mr.Robertson wote as follows:tt h , Pf'rural deliveries in the TJ l nlt ? d „- S i ates last V** amounted to$W£' As / tho develops u is difficult to estimate what the ultimate cost will amount to." Most" of the " more populous country districts are-now in the enjoyment of rural-delivery: fa-' * cihties, and it is only natural to suppose that sparsely peopled places- will ' gradually be given..the same privileges. '"' ' Notwithstanding-"the' great' cost' o'Pthe system as compared-with.the revenue derived, tf-js contended that the introduction ot rural delivery has materially '- improved tho social and economic con- -" ditions of rural settlers. It is estimated, ' tor example, that the value of land in' rural-delivery districts has risen 35 to 45 per cent. This. seems to be a-some-what optimistic estimate, but I,was assured .by a high official in' Washington that his'inquiries had proved the' es- ' tiinate to be an accurate one. Moreover; - •, tho actual or potential■■■ saving to farm- ' ors, who formerly had to lose, say, a half-day's work of themselves and teams - to visit the market town once or. twice ■ '' a . week for ' letters,' is ■calculated ■ at '' (600,000,000 dollars).'•. .•■ "In Canada nothing was done in the direction: of,' rural deliveries - until- the new rural-delivery box referred to, which is spoken of as an ideal one by officers of the United States Post Office, was in-' . vented. : In Canada mail-carriers are > ' ' paid is. per annum in addition to the amount of their contract for each box on " their lino of route. The settlers pay'-the-', cost' of the box. So far the Canadian-' rural deliveries have been very ' successful, and highly appreciated by settlers, '■'■'?• who have taken, tho matter up' heartily. ■'