ABSTRACT
Rural post offices were established primarily during the nineteenth century to give the nation an effective means of communication. General Accounting Office (GAO) reports in December 1964 and December 1967 had recommended that unprofitable rural post offices be closed and that equivalent but less expensive service to rural customers be continued through either contract post offices or rural delivery. The Post Office Department agreed in principle with the GAO recommendations in each instance; however, it did not implement the GAO suggestions. The rural post office was heralded as the social center of towns and was referred to as a necessary ingredient for growth. In addition, several congressmen stressed that the US Postal Service should operate as a service rather than as a money-making entity. A federal judge, who had temporarily enjoined the service from closing post offices, upheld the postal service in the suit.
