RURAL MAIL DELIVERY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3561, 17 August 1905, Page 4

RURAL MAIL DELIVERY.

Only ft ftaofiilon of Time WTicns Jt Will lie ficneraily ; lOnUibll»lied. For some time. the government has been making ft trial of free rural mail delivery in 2‘i -states ou 41 different routes. These rotn«s were located in P widely-scattered districts, differing r®'« from each other in general character K , j'.ais..-f | ar as possible. The mountain dis* Ifericts of Arl;:irtsi.:". the-back country disPftripts of the mid-uie west. t he negro setill ''tifiniciitH -of the south, the larmin g districts of oilier states —:il I kinds of terri.lory were cohered in older to give the plan a thorough test. Berry Heath, vvho has hud (he supervision of the" trial, says in his report (hat, according to the varying conditions of the countr ; ||h : 'traversed, the rural carriers perform, their ,scrv.ee on horseback or riding h-. Ill: ; Ib‘ackboard«, buggies, two-whecled car ■ or on bicycles. In some states they have to cross farms and pull down bars and ‘de over Helds to deliver and colleef ~eir mails. ‘ln no instance has ar .erious complaint been made of 11 invasion of private rights. On the co. the cooperatkm'of thecormnum ties served lia ■ in every instance been ‘ effectively and eliecrfnlly given. The farmers, at their own cost, have put up boxes at tiu; cro>.-voad . and at all other |i|i'Cdnvei»ient places for the reception of the mails. The g. nci.i! _results ob-I'il'-ltaihed have been so satisfactory as to h Suggest t oft nsibil'd r of making rural Itlfrjlelivery a permanent feature of postal |||||administra.tion in the United States, not immediately in’ in all districts 1 at once, but i n some graduated form. -i From tins time on. therefore, we may expect to see a movement for theperi; mantvnt establishment of such a system*. The appropriation for the experiment was only intended to cover it ns such, and for 'any further development of the system other provision will have to be made. This provision will naturally be gradual, inasmuch as the establishment of the system throughout ail the rura' districts at once would entail an eno mens expense. But it has been proved % that the plan is feasible and that it meets a demand. Therefore it is only a question of time when it will be generally established.—Dakota Field and Farm.