| Show HENRY L GOODWIN of Connecticut Connect-icut has sent to Congress a memorial memor-ial in favor of the extension of the free delivery of the mail He shows that under the present law restricting restrict-ing free delivery to postoffices supplying sup-plying a population of not less than 20000 only 10000000 of the 50000 000 inhabitants of the United States enjoy the benefits of the system The remaining 40000000 people must go or send to the postoffices for letters and papers If a number of persons in a city should club together and employ a carrier to deliver letters at their houses Mr Goodwin avers that the postoffice authorities foreseeing a probable i diminution of box rents would oppose op-pose the plan And he adds that the II partnership now existing between be-tween the government and the postmaster in the use of letterboxes letter-boxes has made the postmasters an army of opponents to every scheme for extending the delivery de-livery system He points out that in France Prussia and Switzerland Switzer-land free delivery at every house has been an established fact for years and that at present the same system is practically in operation in Great Britain Mr Goodwin sees no objection to the extension of free delivery in the proposed reduction reduc-tion of letter postage but thinks the two should go together He would have the uostmasterceneral clothed with the discretionary power to gradually extend the system It is not probable that any favorable action will be taken on Mr Goodwins memorial Even cities containing the requisite 20000 inhabitants find it difficult to obtain the benefits of the free delivery system to which they are by law entitled |
