Essays on Sussex County and New Jersey Postal History

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RURAL FREE DELIVERY ~Len PeckOnce a route was mapped out and established by these Special Agents, it was thenadvertised for a carrier. Qualifications required carriers to be of good character, neat andtidy, with no criminal record, and morals above reproach. They could be either male orfemale, and a few women did apply and become carriers. Carriers were required to bebonded for $500.00 as were their substitutes. Under no circumstances were non-bondedcarriers to handle the mail. The carriers were placed under the direct authority of the localpostmaster, who was required to report any postal infractions or violations to the postal departmentimmediately.Once the route was established and a carrier chosen by the special agent, the postmasterinformed the families on the route of the rules they needed to follow. They were informed “thatthe service was free to any family adjacent to the route, provided a suitable receptacle wasinstalled to receive the mail in a place that can be conveniently reached by the mail carrierwithout alighting from the mail buggy. No mail will be delivered if a suitable box is not providedto receive it.”At first, all types of receptacles were used to receive the mail, in all shapes and sizes.Carriers reported finding such unsuitable containers as lard pails, empty coal oil cans, syrup cans,soap, sugar and apple boxes---even leaky milk cans, which were hung on a post or tree next tothe road. This prompted the postmasters to warn their patrons that certain standards wereexpected for a rural mail box.In 1901 a commission was appointed to set up specifications which were to be followedin constructing mailboxes. Of some 63 models submitted, 14 were considered acceptable. Later,in 1915, Postmaster General Albert Burleson approved a design submitted by Roy J. Joroleman,a post office engineer. It was the now familiar tunnel-shaped mailbox with a signal attachedthat could be raised or lowered. The carrier would raise the signal when mail was delivered andpatrons could raise the signal so the carrier could pick up outgoing mail even if no mail wasto be delivered. The signal was a great boon to the carrier on cold or inclement days when theydid not have to stop for no purpose. Some carriers equipped themselves with whistles, which theywould use to signal their patrons who lived a distance back from the road when mail had beendelivered.Mail routes were inspected twice a year by special inspectors who reported on thephysical condition of the route, the efficiency of the carrier and mail boxes that did not conform tospecifications. Inspectors turned in a report containing 36 questions encompassing every phaseof the service, as well as carrier conduct.In many cases the salary of the carriers was hardly considered adequate. In farming areaswhere horses were readily available and forage was abundant, the salary was considered quitegood and there were always farmers’ sons scrambling to get appointments. In other areas, wherethe carrier had to purchase a horse and wagon and pay for feed and care of his animal as well,the salary of $50.00 a month hardly covered operating expenses. In such cases, these carrierssoon learned how to supplement their income by offering special services to patrons on the route.This included purchasing and delivering supplies and errand running of all kinds.NJPH 84Vol. 36/No. 2May 2008 Whole No. 17064
Len Peck ~ RURAL FREE DELIVERYOn one occasion, where a farm-boy carrier had advertised for practically any type ofservice, he found a message in the mailbox requesting that he “feed the chickens and animalsin the barn,” as his patrons had gone away for the weekend. Of course, this type of activity wasnot sanctioned by the Post Office Department, but was overlooked in most cases by the localpostmasters in those areas where carriers were hard to come by.Like everything that is new and different, there were those who were apprehensiveabout the RFD system. Some patrons along the route feared that anyone passing by theirmailbox could remove stamps and letters that were placed in the box while smallmerchants in town feared the loss of revenue if farmers did not have to come to town as often.Rural carriers were also expected to have the latest information on everything thatwas going on in the area. As postcards were the principal means of communication during theearly years of RFD, the carrier had easy access to birth, death, wedding, and otherannouncements of all kinds, and the patrons along the route expected him to share thisinformation. Thus, on cold days, the carrier would be welcomed into the homes ofpatrons for a hot cup of coffee or soup, or a cold glass of lemonade on those hot, humidsummer days. The carrier had to be cautious about these visits and limit the number of suchstops on each trip to avoid complaints of dallying, which could result in a serious reprimand oreven dismissal.But there was no question about the overall success of RFD, not only to the farmer andother patrons along a delivery route but also to the Post Office Department as well. Fromits inception until 1915, over 26,000 of the smaller fourth class post offices had beendiscontinued. Of course, there were many complaints from some of the fourth class postmasterswho lost their jobs, but this was considered unimportant compared to the overall advantagesgained.The number of rural routes in service reached its highest point of 45,315 in 1926. Ithad grown from 82 in 1897 to 24,566 in 1904, then averaged from 35,000 to 45,000 from thatpoint until 1926.Road improvements and the advent of the automobile played the major part inlimiting the number of routes in use. Whereas all kinds of horse-drawn conveyances werefirst used in covering a mail route, it was soon learned that light rigs called “runners” werethe best for negotiating muddy, rutted roads. Such rigs were soon made available by carriagemanufacturers. They were nothing more than a box on wheels, completely enclosed, with asliding window through which the driver could service the mailbox without leaving the wagon.Vol. 36/No. 285NJPHWhole No. 170 May 200865
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ByLeonard PeckPublished inThe Pages
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PREFACE:Leonard Peck is a long-time
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LEN PECK - CENTENARIAN!“We ate a
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CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF SUSSEX POs ~
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Len Peck ~ SUSSEX COURT HOUSE ~ Fir
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Page 42 and 43: DEVELOPMENT OF SUSSEX POs: Hamburg
Page 50 and 51: Len Peck ~ SPARTA, NJ: EARLY SUSSEX
Page 60 and 61: MONTAGUE, NJ POST OFFICE ~ Len Peck
Page 62 and 63: Len Peck ~ SNUFFTOWN [SUSSEX COUNTY
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Essays on Sussex County and New Jersey Postal History

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