| "The Postoffice on
Wheels, as shown in the accompanying cut, was conceived and designed by Mr. Edwin W.
Shriver, of Westminster. The idea came to him last summer during some leisure moments, and
he mentioned it to Mr. A. W. Machen, superintendent of the Free Delivery System of the
Postoffice Department, whose summer home is in this city. Mr. Machen at once became
interested in the plan and requested Mr. Shriver to work out details and submit his plans
in writing to the department. Mr. Shriver did so, including a design of a mail wagon, map
of proposed route and cost of operating route. The Department thought favorably of the
scheme and decided to make a trial of the experiment. Mr. Shriver was directed to make out
specifications for building a wagon and to obtain bids for its construction. Herr Bros.,
of Westminster, were the successful bidders, and an order for the wagon was given to them
last December for its construction. Work was begun at once, under Mr. Shriver's personal
supervision, and the wagon is completed and ready for the road. It was ready, in reality,
some weeks ago, but postal affairs in Cuba and Porto Rico engaged Mr. Machen's attention
and the wagon was not started. Postmaster Milton Schaeffer, of Westminster, took much
interest in the new postal scheme, and has been aiding Mr. Shriver and the postoffice
Department in arranging the route and getting matters in shape for a trial of the
experiment. He and Mr. Shriver were both at the Postoffice Department on Wednesday.
Description of Wagon
The wagon is a handsome one. It is eight feet long, painted blue, with black trimmings.
The running-gear is yellow, with red stripes. On the doors on each side, and on the back,
are the words, in white letters, "U.S. Mail Postal Wagon." The inside is fitted
up with counter, drawers and letter boxes, of different sizes. In the back are sixteen
boxes, mostly large, and in front are forty-two boxes, all zinc lined. The wagon is a
credit to the builders. It was put up according to specifications, but both the designer
and builders see that a lighter wagon would do. Experience, too, will probably suggest
some changes that will make the wagons more convenient and less expensive.
When the Wagon Will Start.
The wagon will be started on Monday, April 3, leaving Westminster at 8 a.m. The route will
be to Warfieldsburg, to Baile, to Denning's, to Taylorsville, via Crawford's Store,
arriving at Westminster about 5 o'clock p.m., in time to meet evening mails east and west.
The length of the route will be thirty miles. It is designed to put up mail boxes every
half mile, making sixty in all, and some, if not all, will be put up before the wagon
starts out. Persons who desire to have their mail delivered to them can have it done free
of cost by simply putting up boxes along the route. The boxes should have locks on them,
also. Persons putting up boxes should have their names on them, and have them up by April
3d. Mr. Shriver will be over the route several times next week, and will give information
as to mails and boxes to any one desiring it.
Not much change will be made, for the present, in the mail system affecting the route
where the wagon will run. Mail from Baltimore and points beyond, for Taylorsville and
Winfield, instead of being sent by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad to Hood's Mill, and
thence to those offices by star route carrier, will be sent to Westminster, and thence by
the Postoffice-on-Wheels. By this arrangement mail will reach Taylorsville and Winfield
from one to two hours earlier than by the present arrangement. Mr. E. W. Shriver will be
the mail clerk, and will have as his assistant Mr. Horace G. Reese, son of the late David
Reese, of Meadow Branch. Mr. Reese is now in the graduating class at Western Maryland
College. He will learn the route and the handling of the mails, so as to be able to take
Mr. Shriver's place whenever it may be necessary, on account of absence or sickness. On
the first trip, on April 3d, Mr. Shriver will have with in the wagon, besides Mr. Reese,
Mr. A. M. Machen, the Superintendent of the Free Delivery System. In other vehicles will
be Mr. Milton Schaefer, postmaster of Westminster, some officials from the Postoffice
Department at Washington, a porter and an artist from the Baltimore American, and others.
Will Probably Revolutionize the Rural Postal System
If the Postoffice on Wheels proves the success it is expected it will revolutionize the
mail system in rural sections, for it s use will be gradually extended to the whole
country. By its introduction the present star-route mail carriers will be superceded and
cross road and roadside postoffices will be abolished. The introduction of the
Postoffice-on-Wheels will also cause a great saving to the government, and will greatly
reduce the labor in the Postoffice Department at Washington. Under the present system
fourth-class postoffices are very numerous and new ones are being continually established.
The continual increase is adding continually to the work of the Department. Every
postmaster must give a bond, which must be recorded and filed, and a separate account be
kept with every office. The postmasters are allowed the proceeds of all stamps sold, up to
$100, and as fully one-half of them do not sell over the amount the government receives no
return for the stamps furnished. Besides, the lack of business knowledge and business
system upon the part of many fourth-class postmaster results in confusion of accounts and
in reports which necessitates much correspondence, and carelessness in handling mail
matter frequently results in complaints that must be investigated by the Department.
Another important annoyance will be avoided, too, by the abolishment of a large number of
fourth-class postoffices-that is the contention over appointments. These offices give
politicians, great and small, a great deal of trouble, frequently involving congressmen,
and creating discontent and turmoil in parties. The introduction of the
Postoffice-on-Wheels will reduce this annoyance at least three-fourths, and for this
reason alone the wagon will be welcomed by district, county and state political leaders.
Dispensing party patronage is always a disagreeable matter, and rarely fails to cause
trouble and weaken the party in power. The greater the patronage the greater the source of
weakness.
Besides the saving to the government the design of the Postoffice-on-Wheels is to
facilitate the receiving and dispatching of mails. Daily mails will be carried to the very
doors, almost, of the rural population, whereas at many offices mails are received only
two or three times a week, and some of the people have to go a mile or two to get their
mail. In addition, facilities for transmitting money by mail, in the shape of money orders
or postal notes, will be supplied to the people, who will be able to get them from the
postal clerk in the wagon.
*The cut of the wagon seems to have gone
astray through transmission and was not received up to one hour of going to press. It
should have been received on Thursday."
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