New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-18

poucbes with the post Offices along thc me-
The idea then was 60 concentrate III hihi' u,
LARGO INST Offices called distributing Offices, ana
much confusion grew out OF the plan ~ INC
mnila increased In bulk and compleNIty.
Az that time the methods of registration were
cory crude. The Registered packages wnro
merely pouched with ordinary mail, M MI
1acLsop says. In such u manner ne TO invite OF
"tempt the cupidiiy or rascality oi unpfihclpieu
:, Mariana. At that time 90 register letter was
often to encourage ia loss" lhe present sys-
tam. which ia auile successful. went Into opera
fin, IN Jnly, 1907. Tho failure of the dis-
,,ihutlps offices ~ keep tho mail moving was tho
n,.t i,ee,tiyo IA tho establishment Of the Rail
,.as Mail aeryiee. Vnal accommodations OF mail
mnite, were constantly clogglng the great
central offices, aud delays oi dhtH ~ tue "e'
ii,ery often occurred, II became clear thht tho
svstem would mol work, ana though 'hh posi-
masters AT distributing offices resisted chhhse
thev attaining A commission (which had risen
FRAN : to 19la per cent? on letter postage pass
i,o through their offices, the belief that TINS
commission led 10 fraud was influential IN
bringing about the reform. superintendent
Jackson makes the curious statement that lho
facts about the beginning OF tine ne" system
are already largely matters OF tradition rather
than of record and that there are scarcely any
records of IL previous to the organization OF
1890 undcr Postmaster General Creswcll. Inc
suggcstion of the new service, however, Is
croJitod mainly to Mr. A. y. Bevely, third as
sis+ort IN Postmastcr-G General Blair. while the
nlan itself is founded upon the English ana
Canadian systems The first experiments were
made between this city and Washington ana
the arrangements were very crude ana clumsy.
From the outset, however, the railway pOStai
clerks were chosen by natural selection. None
but capable and enduring men could do the
,vorl, There was no room for shirkerS there
So opnointments we're made for six months,
which was a probationary period, and If a clerk
showed his fitness there was no need for a
special examination, for every day and all day
ON duty he was being tested thoroughly.
How the service expanded, fell into shape,
worked ont new improvements through cx-
perience. gradually relieved the distributing
offices of their embarrassing work and now per-
forms the colossal feat of distributing some
nine millions of letter packages annually on
one division (the SecOnd) alone; how all KINDS
of mechanical devices, SuCil iS tho i'i'''i '''T
catchers, to save time, have been adopted; how
the fast mail service was organized; how the
railway companies at first grudging or hostile
then Indifferent have become efficient aux
iiiaries to the service how the clerks have de-
velopcd really marvellous proficiency, ana
how. for a small salary, hundreds OF these men
exhibit daily quiclncss, memory, physical ana
mental energy aud endurance, which would
suffice TO accomplish great things under differ
cnt conditions are all limited at in Mr. Jack
sons pregnant little pamphlet. The country
hardly knows how well and faithfully 1t Is
served in this railway mail department. but 1t
has grown to be one of the most important
branches of the Postal Service. and its active
and public spirited managers are Improving II
all the time. In no country is this work more
considerable and in no country is 1t better per-
formed. Mr.. jackson has contributed vaiu-
able sketch toward the history Of the service,
which certainly deserves to be written at
length. and which contains quite enough
strange and remarkable episodes to mako 1t
interest ting To the general reader.