Examining what manpower services are to be delivered, how they can be delivered, and how to gain the support of State and local governments, the conference on rural America aimed at improving equity of access for rural residents. The opening paper examines the delivery of public services in rural areas; the second session deals with the particular problem of manpower service delivery, including the daily problems faced by the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment Service. In the third session, both general methods and experimental projects are examined for experiences with different rural manpower service delivery methods; the second half of this session discusses delivery methods in three types of experimental programs of the Rural Manpower Service, DOL, which were begun as early as the mid-1960's. Session 4, the implementation of rural manpower delivery plans, focuses on institutional barriers, decentralization and revenue sharing, State support, and equity for special groups. The conference summary sees the future of rural manpower systems in the development of linkages between rural and urban areas and a modern-day labor exchange capable of dealing with a diverse clientele and their problems. Held in Denver, Colorado, December 1973, the conference was made possible by a grant from DOL. (KM)