RURAL MAIL DELIVERY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3598, 16 November 1905, Page 4

RURAL MAIL DELIVERY.

Only n Question <>t '5” me V. !: -‘n It Will lie Generally UMtubll»lieil. For some time the government has been making a trial of free rural mail delivery in 20 states on 41 different routes. - These routes were located in widely-scattered districts, differing from each other in general character as far as possible. Th;* mountain districts of Arkansas, the back country districts of the middle west, the negro settlements of the south, the farming districts of other statesman kinds of territory were covered in order to give the plan a thorough test. Perry Heath, who has had the supervision of the-trial, says in his report that, according to he varying conditions of the country aversed, the rural carriers perform .eir service on horseback or riding in mckboards, buggies, two-wheeled carts , on bicycles. In some states they have to cross farms and pull down bars and ride over fields to deliver and collect their mails, in no instance has any serious complaint been made of this invasion of private rights. On the contrary, the cooperation of the communities served has in every instance been effectively and cheerfully given. The farmers, at their own cost, have put up boxes at the crossroads and at all other convenient places for the reception of the mails. The general results obtained have been so satisfactory as to suggest the feasibility of making rural delivery a permanent feature of postal administration in the United States, not immediately or in all districts at once, but in some graduated form. From this time on, therefore, we may expect to sec a movement for the permanent establishment of such a system. The appropriation for the experiment was only intended to cover it as 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 all the rural districts at once would entail an enormous 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.