New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-08-17
orr CITY POSTAL SERVICE.

a a financial and commercial center Ike Ne" -
ANXIOUS is tins necessity that none are olspos ~
ton the adyisabIity Of adopting Wha'eNot tr,b,,
aetverv expcrience has proved 10 be most ,,iy
aud rand Every merchant Is Wiling 70 'u'".,, ,IIy
cally at least that when one system naS ,, and
,.,ed AND foupd in every way defective some o'eI
more nerfect system should at once De @uop'o =.
Postmaster Practically however, te pun rroly ~
appreciate ANYTHING but eXistns u eio' a., -, dolo,,
- ont AGAINST the Department ior any , EeIry
Wiling 70 cry GU, I'm tie Transmission ana 0suyCIy
- fc,crs, mt when the opportunity ~ d correct the
me ouv reform that can reach anu ~ a. sie
g ni MS ondiy complained Of the public eye t n S
uicously and clings 70 the Oiu 'i,' ,i There s mo-
Pi0 !sr}itv MAT Is truly phenomenal lnoIo - az
ten"t -, doubt that many errors losses, ana oe
Law do occur the delivery o. our CIV 70 me f9ct
sands of merchants are readY 70 pear WINS lost ar
,t ON particular occasions valuable letters %SlU o M
delayed to Their grea' o6 Wa and Broadst fossils The
Jear7,ai Of Commerce Is Wiling any gay 10 lGC in,n6
mat seems TO be reserved IOf limit espeC"a {s
These chronic GROWERS do not grOW without cauSS ~ 10
frne. but their persistent adherence 10 INC Uu W.
sten bcy fail that they only encourage inc con
tnuancc of that which gYeSJlse W more Inu r
Oh se ne ys essentially part Of that system, the
posNaster recently decided 70 institute the Only
cn1rpS losses and delays leaving its adoption in great
measure discretionary with the puonc q, PpstJn from
reform in It's character and remove pOSS reim
The minds of our merchants and business men tne
dices created strengthened by the
OF the journal before mentoheu' Is Oui pi''04'
THE BOX DEPARTMENT.
,ost ~ o,,r readers know the Cedarst side OF the
building occupied as a Ioso @ 6oSt eiX t6ons
voted To the Department Ihere are ap9t an ond
and Ave hundred of these boxes hed by
of rem letters must I've placed daily. As the greater part
of the correspondence OF business mel neo" , the
delivered through these boxes, the work OF sorting e
letters for this department Is IoTnluaoic ] nto
mode of procedure is tins All oy letters % as the
tie Post Office first taken TO what are KNOW" 40 wa
sOrters tables, where they are looked over anu Se
piles for the various delivery d cassfaca.
process OF sorting the accurate selection anu no
ton Of box letters Is the nrst thOught OF the
Z ia
10000 names-there being an average OF hNe m me- ~
ton the box in which they belong located SO that they
may be given 70 the RTSPedr IN e address the desna
ton of letter. whether 10 the BOX, carrier OF 1eneIai
Lei ~ the scrteris memory The chance afforded here
for pUnberess errors and the absolute certainty vi tel
en- srtes mnst be performed with rapidy that pre-
vents any reference TO the Inst OF Do&bOldefs haes
eept in cases where memory fails 70 suggest any 1s
right or wrong; and such register could De naae
available for frequent consultation tat eontaeo 'ne
the boxes delivery of their letters Accuracy,
therefore practically impossible No force OF CLERKS
con be so thoroughly trained and practced as TO select
from the daily mails, $1,000 letters addressed 70 SOO per
sons separate them into piles representng ~ ne asgi
gate over 6O0O boxes, and then mana them over the
proper clerks without making any numDsT OF s'aEe S
These not always the fault OF memory either te
names of many different firms and individuals are the
riTieD that in is almost Impossible distinguish be-
tween them; and when this distinction must Dc made
Ier addressed to clerks in large houses who IN the
habit Of receiving their correspondence through their
than with those addressed TO bOxhoders.
After being arranged and classified as we have shown
on INC sorting tables the letters carried where they
are supposed Delong-those for the Box Department
being taken by the window clerks eaG o " , itt nus
of $500 different individuals must be placed inns ne
cannot do with certainty after years OF practice
and n me could the difficulties would In the
work "bOxHg" the letters many errors are hkey 70
The process becomes SO mechanlcal WIN tne
clerks that while placing letter III It's proper comp
artment, they reading the address OF me next AS
the boxes are two and half inches in width, and sepa
rated by partitions not over an eighth OF an men IN tcA
not unrequeny happens that ihey are Ppea 10
the right or left by mistake All uis WINE tne
crowd in the lobby, growing impatient AT even
windows diversion that cannot be supposed TO
greatly facilitate the accuracy OF the window clerks Ia
kors IL sometimes happens that mistakes IN the original
sorting discovered and corrected at the windows
but ti gdo 5 for half an hour viii see dozen
letters returned with the Information tha no such per
sons are known to parties to whom they were given
As tins Is dependent the intelligence and honesty OF
the persons receiving them we regret 10 say tat letters
always returned, even when mistake IN lne de
livery apparent Boys often receive them Tor their
embloyers and believing detection impossible open and
destroy them in the hope OF nndlng VainaDe
In other they allowed to he around offices
the vague hope that some one VIII can iOr then Any
bOxhOlder, whose correspondence is lAIse, o zen u
numberless instances IN which letters Enthusiastically al
dressed parties have been placed IN his box and
and almost every day more OF ms own that
have fallen into wrong hands, and nnaly reached nm
with the WelknOWn Endorsement, Opened by mistake"
The defects winch We hear mentioned as necessarily
part of this system when the number OF boxes B allowed
h s, nave convinced him that as simple facts tey
are beyond contradiction. AS long men, and NOT intel
hgent and animated machines are employed ia e WORK
sorting boxes these evils must continue TO give
all manner Of annoyance and trouble TO our business
men No force Of clerks be employed who VIII re,
member even SIX thousand plainly written names ana
when that number multiplied by hve, and falr pro
portion the letters addressed III rapid and care
less sfye tine difficulties become infinitely greater.
oven If possible for TO become expert as
to perform this work accurately the changes constantly
occurring in the from DEATH removals, promotions
and resgnaOns, necessltate the employing OF new ana
inexperienced hands, and these have 10 learn by e1pe
renee II the renting Of boxes limited 10 tenth
OF the present number or even less than This we should
hear but little complaint OF losses ana delays III The de-
'-' " THE CARRIER SYSTEM.
A few years ago the merchants OF London suffered
now conpltined of in New York Their Post once was
badly managed. Thousands OF boxes were sofa, ana
every year difficulties ncreased-ew, If any, having
enoch discernmen to see the coincidence between
growth OF the Box Department ana the increase OF errors
first 70 make this discovery was sir Rowland Hill, the
present Secretary Of the London PosOniee who memo
rallied Parliament on bis own responsibility urging the
perfection carrier system and the abandonment OF
the box delivery After many years OF patient ana per
sistent labor he succeeded IN pOpuafzR ms views ana
inusted with the reformation Of the London postal
systeu His first step was ~ organize an etcl9t carrier
force and set them 10 work Ihe men were gwen snort
routes which they easily learned and the falthfuness
and prompttude with which they performed their duties
won the confidence OF 1.-THE public The next step III the
way of reform close the boxes the time
expired for which they were leased. Many
were voluntarily abandoned, and IN "a few months
their number was reduced TO less than five
hundred, which held only by the banks,
newspapers, insurance companies and other cnar-
tered corporations having extensive bulky CORE
spondence. The Importance OF accurate and specific
address all letters at once appreciated by the pub
lie; the afforded every encouragement in
discharge of their duties and the postal service Of
london Is now good as 1t was formerly bad. Under
like circumstances Ike results always follow like
II wish correct the evils Of present system
have butOnc 10 pursue The example OF London
must be followed the boxes gwen up and the carriers
intrusted with the delivery Of all city letters This
form has already been commenced by Postmaster Kelly
and properly seconded by the merchants and business
men Of the city we may hope in few months for the
entire reform OF the defects OF the present system.