Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1908 — POSTOFFICE WILL BE MOVED OCTOBER Ist [ARTICLE]

POSTOFFICE WILL BE MOVED OCTOBER Ist

Will Occupy Quarters in the K. of F Building and Will Have New Office Furnishings.

The Rensselaer postoffice will be moved about October Ist to the corner room In the Knights of Pythias building,and will be supplied throughout with new office furniture. The order which Postmaster Murray has received from the government requires him to move the office on October Ist or as soon thereafter as •it Is possible to move .lt. The new Quarters for the office were decided upon some time ago, after the agent foi; the government and James E. Chapman, the owner of the room where the postoffice Is now located, failed to come to an agreement about the continued lease of the room. It is understood that the agent offered to pay the maximum rent of |4BO per year for the room now occupied, but this required that new furniture be Installed, that the room be heated and that water closets be placed In the building. The improvements required would cost in the neighborhood of *1,500, and it would cost *IOO or more a year to heat the building. Mr. Chapman Is still out of town but it is understood that he declined to accept the offer of the agent, and that he at once went in search of another room, and there are not Very many available. H. O. Harris was given an opportunity to lease the Harris bank room, but dtd not care to make the required Improvement a With the Dickinson Trust Co., the present owners of the K. of P. build-' ing,no argument was necessary. They

have a furnace in the building and the room that the postoffice Is to occupy has never had a tenant. The rent that is paid is not made public, but It is believed to be *4BO a year, the maximum amount that can be paid for offices of this class. It 18 also probable that the room has been leased for. a period of years, probably ten. The room is to be partitioned off from the large room and is to be 20 feet in width and 70 feet in length. The , furniture is to be installed by the owners of the building and the lock boxes are to be keyless. There will be an increased number of boxes. A rear entrance from the street to the carriers’ distributing room will be provided. . - The old furniture is the property of Postmaster Murray and cost him *SOO when he was installed in office a little more than a' year ago. It will be a dead loss to him, except for what he may get out of it by selling it off to other postmasters. There is considerable objection beipg offered to the removal of the postoffice, especially by merchants in the east business section, but the removal is not a very important one. In old days when there were no hitch barns and before the rural delivery It was a vital matter to have the post office centrally located, but Rensselaer has outgrown that condition and the change will probably work no hardships on any one.