Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-03

~ W deuiGRlpu. fOT years lDs SdFdhohu
| Office has been conducted without an in
crease OF force, although the business has
largely increased from year to year. 1t
is fact VIGOROUSLY to the discredit of
the most important port and
greatest commercial city between
Baltimore and New Orleans that there is
not a delivery of mail by carriers through
three-tourths of the city between $50 p.
m. and IL to 1870 a. m. 1t is further
more notorious that it takes from two to
three hours longer to deliver letter to
an address half mile away from the Sa-
vannah Office than it does TO deliver let
ter three miles from the New York, Pnila-
delphia or Chicago post offices. A letter
dropped in the Office al 6 p. M, addressed
to a citizen on Charlton street, will be
delivered about IL O'Clock the next day.
One received at the Office at 8 or 8 a. m.
Will be delivered at the same time.
THE FORCE TOO SMALL.
The first delivery is intended to be
a morning delivery and for the con-
venlence of trades people and all 9th
ers. On account of the small force of
carriers the morning mail and the South
ern aud Northern mails OF the night be-
lore are not delivered at point as near
the post office as Liberty and East Broad
streets until nearly noon. The people c M
plain daily, but they understand that
1t is not the fault OF the authorities here,
who do all they can. Savannah is allow
ed but nine carriers and the Superintend-
eDt has no assistant. AS result, the
Superintendent OF carriers has no time to
attend to the duties expected OF a super
intendent, but he has to work from 6
O'Clock in the morning until 9 or later as
hard as he can distributing the three
morning mails and two night mails. He
has to assist him no one but the general
delivery clerk, whose time Is required
every few minutes at the general delivery
window. w hiie these mails are being
distributed the carriers are out collect
ing or making up the mail for their dis
tricts from what has been distributed.
Atlanta, Charleston and other offices of
that class have an assistant super utend-
ent and also a night clerk. The night
clerk distributes the night mails and the
assistant perintendent OF carriers helps
distribute the morning mail. That en-
ables those cities to have an early de-
livery.
OTHER CITIES ADVANTAGES.
Atlanta has seventeen carriers, almost
twice as many as Savannah mas. Some
of the carriers here have such large dis
tricts that they have to make three trips
from the office to carry out all the matter.
With the necessary force each man would
out all the letters and packages the first
trip. There IS an early delivery in a
small district, which covers the leading
business section, but people halt mile
from the office do not know what an early
delivery is.
Some time IN May or June an assurance
was received from the department that an
additional appropriation would be avail
able for the Savannah Office after july 1.
- hat -, Vrnf fo,
down $500 on Oct. l.
A few months ago the Postm aster's
salary was Increased from So, 100 to So, 200
a year. The inference from that was that
the department had recognized that the
business OF the Savannah office had In
creased. In the face OF that natural con-
clusion, however, the appropriation for the
workings of the office, with a largely in
creased business, was reduced $500 and it
was taken off Of the salaries OF some OF
the clerks.
LOW SALARIES HERE.
A comparison of salaries in the Atlanta
post Office with the salaries paid in the
Savannah office shows vast difference in
favor of the former. The registry letter
clerk in Atlanta is said 10 receive 81, 200
year. The same clerk In Savannah gets
$3.50. Atlanta is allowed $4,000 for her
money order clerks. Savannah gets only
$780, The Atlanta Postmaster gets
$500 a year. Why Savannah cannot
get the necessary force to run
the post Office so that it
would be n convenience to the citizens
is question the answer to which has to
be guessed. Even all of the furniture
in the Office does not belong to the gov
eminent. and tue department has been
slow to give Savannah anything. The
fuel has to be kept in box In the hail,
for there is no cellar in which to store it,
The mailing and carriers department is
scarcely large enough, and when the
stove was put up table which was
needed had to be taken out.
Application has been made repeatedly
for a telephone in the office, but no notice
is taken of the requests. Whenever a
train is late messenger has to be sent to
the railroads, and valuable time Is lost.
1t often happens that all the n I received
at night caunoJ be sent off UNI the next
morning. The business men on the Bay
send out thousands of circulars and cards
containing quotations, IL is highly i'm
pOrtant that such matter should be for
warded on the first trains, but it Is impos-
sible TO get all the matter of that Is re-
celved up TO the hour OF closing.
FIVE MORE MEN WANTED.
Special Agent Anstett of the Treasury
Department, no was here in regard TO a
site for the new post office, said that he
was greatly surprised TO md Savannah
had sucA a poorly equipped office, and he
added that he thought that If the wants
were properly presented 10 the depart
ment allowance would be made. Ex-
Postmaster Wilson repeatedly requested
tue department to give him more force,
and Capt. Lamar mas done the same
thing. Postma-ter Lamar saws that he
needs three more carriers, an assistant
superintendent OF carriers and an extra
mailing clerk. With that force he saws
that he can get the mails off promptly, de-
liver tue morning mail at a reasonable
time and keep the men busy too. AS 1t 10
now three or Tour men are on duty fifteen
hours, and have to sleep in the building
SO that they will be there TO commence
v.nrL aarlv In tho fnornipu