Evening Star Newspaper, January 12, 1930, Page 116

i MOST FROM TS VERY | BEGINNING THE UNITED STATES POST OFFICE HAS BEEN RUN NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING REVENUE FOR THE GOVERNMENT BUT WITH THE IDEA OF PERFORMING A SOCIAL SERVICE 70 THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, = ¢ OF THE LWWITED STATES, 'HE UNITED STATES POST OFFICE DATES FROM THE YEAR 1794 (FIVE YEARS AFTER THE ADOPTION OF THE CoNSTITSTION) WiHIEN CONGRE SS PASSED A CODE OF POSTAL LAWS. .AILNA\I POST orrices (Ma €ARS) FOR SORTNG MAIL IN TRANSIT " | WERE TrIED SLUCCESSFULLY IN 1862, BUT WERE NOT OFFCIALLY APPROVED AND PUT I SERWICE LUNTIL 1879, //\: I s .NE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RURA FREE DELWVERY IN 1897 BROUGHT THE THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS LIVING OR DISTANT FARMS AND IN ISOLATED REGIONS I8 CLOSER CONTACT WITH THE REST OF THE NATION. ° = UNCLAIMED VALUABILES) IN DEAD LETTERS ARE S0LD, THE PROCEEDS (ABOUT # 300,000 A YEAR) GOING TOTHE FCGDERAL TREASURY. == WAS ESTABLISHED N 1854, —-o l BMoRE AN NINETY MILLION PIECES OF REGISTERED MAIL ARE CARRIED IN SINGLE YEAR. o The Romance of the Mails, parrs == By J. CARROLL MANSFIELD THE MODERN AMERICAN POST OFFICE T THAT TIME THERE WAS ONLY ONE POST OFFICE 70 EVERY 40,000 PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES.QNE HUNDRED YEARS LATER THERE WAS A POST OFFICE FOREVERY THOUSAND AMERICANS . Bl R0R 10 CALL AT THEIR LOCAL POST OFFICE FOR THEIR MAIL. BEGINNING IN THAT YEAR LETTERQS WERE DELIVERED BY CARRIER. TO THE PERSONS ADPRESSED> AT AN | EXTRA GHARGE oF TWo CENTS A LETTER, NOTEWORTHY EXTENSION OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE OF THE POST OFFICE WAS THE OPENING (1911) OF POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS, AUTHORIZED B8Y CoNGRESS IN 1910, o B85 1= vorumE oF teTERS MN— CREASEPD, THE STAGECOACH ToOK THE PIACE OF THE LONIE POST-RIDER IN CARRYING MAJL BETWEEN LARGE TOWNS. HORSEMEN CONTINUED TO BE USED AS LETTER CARRIERS IN ISOLATED DISTRICTS. DURING THE CIVIL WAR , THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT INALIGLI- RATED FREE DELIVERY SERVICE IN THE CITIES AND LARGER TOWNS. AT THE SAME TIME LETTER BOXES WERE SET UP FOR THE FREE COLLECTION OF MAIL . -N 1913 THE PARCEL POST SYSTEM WENT INTO OPERATION. [HE PARCEL POST AT ONCE GREATLY IN=- CREASED THE POSTAL REVENUES, WITH THE RESULT THAT THE POST OFFICE WAS ABLE TO LOWER THE RATES.—* THE PoST OFFICE IN 1834 TURNED TO THIS NEW MODE OF TRANSPORTATION FOR CARRYING THE MAILS . AT FRST. THE RAILROADS WERE NOFASTER AND NOT AS SAFE AS THE STAGECOACHES. - .HE POSTA DATES FROM 1864 WHEN IT WAS PUT INTO OPERATION FOR THE CHIEF PLRPOSE OF PROTECTING FUNDS OF UNION SOLDIERS szmnnou. GH THE {Copyrig SCaxwatl sreb I AIR MALL, NOowW A WELL- ESTABLISHED AND IMPORTANT PART OF OUR POSTAL SYSTEM WAS INALUGURATED IN 1918, WHEN MAIL FLIGHTS WERE BEGUN BETWEEN NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON , BY (920 THE EAST AND WEST COASTS OF THE CONTI- NENT HAD BEEN LINKED GYAIR MAIL +