Daily Republican., 1885-09-01
the Special Posta, System.

Postmaster General Was has ordered
that the special delivery servine shall
go into effs;t GA the first OF y tI.rr,
but 1t is not certain that Wilmington
will be one OF the cities in which IL viii
be tested, AZ the law provides that the
system sail be entered into aud tested
in certain large cities selected by the
Postm lster General. Congress gave to
that Off sial the right of provi1ing for
this new system, whenever deemed
advisable or expeiient," and he takes
upon himself the carrying out of a plan
which many Post iii % officials con
slider unnecessary, and not properly a
part of the Pvstofti 5e system.
the Law provides that there shall be
a spscl Al stamp Of the value of ten
Cents vi seed upon letters in addition to
the regular postage to insure quick de-
livery within she limits of the free
delivery Of the Postoffice In which the
letter is deposited, and it further pro-
vides that letters Of this character shall
be delivered from seven o'clock in the
morning until midnight, making sew
enteen hours of service for carriers
There will be some diff ,ul.ies in the
way OF carrying out this service effect
ually. The extra service will req uire
extra labor, and II provides amongst
other things that extra carriers APP
pointed to meet this service shall not
receive more than thirty dollars q
month for such service.
He Is to receive eighty per cent. OF
the value Of the special stamps, but
when that reaches thirty dollars his
pay stops. Whether he can be COM
PEELED to do more work than will
amount to thirty dollars Is not stated,
but 1t may reasonably be supposed that
no carrier will care about going ahead
and doing sixty dollars worth OF work
for thirty dollars. This Is one of the
defects of the law at the start, which
may, OF course, be remedied as these
defects are discovered. None but boys
will feel inclined to apply tor positions
as carriers under the special system.
Boys would do very well during the
day, provided they are careful boys
who can be trusted, but boys, even in q
city the size Of Wilmington, would no
like ut the midnight hour to take 8
letter from the Postofice at Sixth and
hihBb oue W Oity AOios, CoCIobAf
Bayard's residence, Downtown, tb.
South Side or the Ninth ward. To re
quire boys to do 80 would be very
severe en- them with some it would be
very uncertain whether 1t would be
done at all. This at once renders the
service somewhat uncertain.
The service would be more complete
II entrusted to substitute carriers,
who are employed In all large Post
Offices They are now paid by tn
regular carriers, for whom they &C
when the regular men are sick or alb
sent from other unavoidable causes
These men would make better an,
more reliable carriers than boys, VIII
would naturally be tmid abou
performing night duty up to mid
night.
AS the law now stands, 1t is not ce
tain that 1t will be put into effect
this CITY the frst OF October, as tt
Postmaster General may desire to tes
the working Of the system In lsre
cities like New York, Philadelphia
Brooklyn, Cincinnati. Chicago, Bait
more and other large cities, befol
introducing 1t into smaller cities {
under Q hundred thousand inhab
tants.