Will Be Generally Established.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3611, 16 December 1905, Page 4

Will Be Generally Established.

For pome time the government hns been making a trial of free ruiai mail delivery in 29 states on 44 different routes. These routes were located in widely-scattered districts, differing from "each other in general character a:; far as possible. The mountain districts of Arkansas, the back country districts of the middle west, the negro S‘-t----11( incuts of the south, the larnung dis-u-icts of other states -all 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 the varying conditions of the country traversed, the rural carriers perform their service on horseback or riding in backboards, buggies, two-wheeled carta or 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 anj serious complaint been made of this invasion of private rights. On the contrary, the cooperation of the communities served lias 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 see a movement for the peimanent 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 he gradual, inasmuch as the establishment of the system throughout all the districts at once iuTenormous expenve. But it has been proved tLltuDhe 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.