Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-04-04
A NEW FEATURE IN OUR POsf 6F-
FICE MANAGEMENT!
FREE DELIVERIES OF MAIL MATTER
FREE COLLECTIONS OF LETTERS
FROM LETTER BOXEsl

FROM LETTER BOXES
When the present efficient and successful
head of the POstofice Department, the Hon.
Montgomery Blair, entered upon the duties
of his Office three years and one month ago,
he found the system upon which the Depart
msnt was managed almost identical with that
in vogue during the days when the rate of
postage was a quarter of dollar on a single
letter-the only difference being in the rates
of postage and the mode of ofpaying the same.
The Department, up to the time Judge Blair
took charge, had been under the control of
the Democratic party for thirty-tWo years,
with the exception of about tEo years during
TyIer's term of Office, and four years during
the administration of Taylor and Fillmore,
and it can readily be seen why it was that
no great improvement aside frem the intro
duction of the use of stamps, and rsdreing
the rates of postage, had been made.
Judge Blair, with his usual energy, set
himself to improve the postal system, and to
bring it up 10 the English and French stand
ard of excellence. Accordingly he recon-
mended the adoption of the English and
French system of free delivery Of mail mat
ter, and free collection of letters from pub
lie letter boxes or repositories /; the English
system Of money orders, and the adoption
Of new rate of newspaper postage, doing
away with the old and awkward charges of
81, ,61E, 10, and 191z cents, and substituting
the convenient sums of 5, 10, Is, and 20
cents, and so on. Congress adopted his
recommendations and passed an act accord
ingly, which went into effect July 1st, 1868.
The system of free delivery was COM
menced in this city on tho first of last July,
with three Iettsr-carriers, bat owing to the
immense extent of territory our city cevers,
and to the houses being so 'magnihceutly dis
tant' from each other, they were not able to
make more than one delivery day, and of
course could not find time to collect letters.
The result was that the system did not make a
good show, for want of sufficient number
of carriers.
In order to remedy this serious defect,
and make the system popular by having
prompt and frequent deliveries and oollec-
tiOns, our Post Master made application for
twelve additional letter-carrisrs, which
Judge Blair readily granted. This force,
added to those already appointed, makes tho
total number of carriers fifteen. Our Post
Master is now prepared hereafter, when de-
sired, to deliver letters and other mail mat
ter at the places Of business or residences of
the parties to whom directed with "prompt-
ness. frequency and dispatch" )" All letters
10 the alphabetical delivery will thus be dis
posed of as soon as the carriers learn where
everybody lives"
As as the moving season is over, each
letter carrier will canvass his own district
and put down the name and residence of
every man, woman and child, from the mil
Isnare in his palace down to the Irish washer
woman in her shanty. These will be arranged
alphabetically so as to enable a particular
name to be found rapidly. By this arrange
msnt he viii bscOme perfectly familiar with
the residence of everybody in his own dis
triot, and thus be enabled to deliver letters
without failure. Free delivery will be great
Iy facilitated if all would request their cor
respondents to direct to street and number,
Boxes and Drawers can be dispensed with,
and the mail matter OF the owners delivered
if they so elect.
By referring to an advertisement on the
first page, full schedule of the number oi
deliveries and collections in the different dis
tricts, and the hour when they will be made
is given, together with list Of the places
where tho letters boxes are located. Il
will be seen that the number Of deliveries
and collections are graded according to the
business, the density of population, and the
distance from the postofios In the business
part of the city, lying between River and
Ontario streets there will be FIVE deliveries an
six collections daily. In the thickly settled
territories between Ontario and Perry streets
there viii be two deliveries and three collec-
tiOns. In the more sparssly settled territory
beyond Perry street, there will be two de.
llVeries and two collections.
The arrangement for delivering letters on
the West Side will be perfected in few days,
when due notice will be given.
The letter carriers appointed are all mon
of good character and habits, and each is
under $1,000 bonds for the faithful perfor-
nance of his duty.
Tbis snstar, bos No. L,.- tLn-o,,.LI-- t,s
ted in New York, Philadelphia ard Boston,
and the result has been to increase the local
correspondence in those cities 25 per cent.
in the first quarter with free delivery as COM
pared with previous quarter with no dsliv-
cry
The greater the facilities for delivering
and receiving letters, the greater will be the
number written. To illustrate. A lady in
the upper part Of the city neglects to tell her
husband to bring home some groceries, and
he has gone to his business perhaps two
miles of, and will not come back before
supper. She writes note to him, tells her
servant girl to take it to the next corner, or
over 10 the next street, and drop it into the
letter box. Thslstter carrier comes around at
twelve, one, or two o'clock and takes it to the
Postofice, where another carrier takes it
to the husband at his place of business in
time for him to get the groceries. This can
be done under the Free Delivery system at
an expense of only two cents, the drop letter
postage rate.
1t is calculated that the increase of corres-
pOndsncs, arising from the adoption of this
system, will more than pay the cost of Letter
carriers. In proof of this, it is only nscss-
sary to look at the immense number of let
fsrs yvr;ft.n N Toudon on5 otL,- U,.I:-L