The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-08
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
How the "Reform" Administration Admins
tiers Important Public Trust

How the s'Ref0rn'' Administration Adminis-
tiers an Important Public Trust
Indianapolis News
It has certainly already been demonstrated to
the satisfaction of fair-minded people that the
postal service has deteriorated since the present
administration took charge of affairs If further
proof were needed it can be furnished by almost
any business house which has a large mail. The
indianapolis postmaster has proven impervious
to al criticism, and to seek the correction of
such evils land they are many as are charge
able to his office is idle. But while the home
service is, In the belief of this public, a little
worse than any other city is blessed with. evil
dence is at hand showing that the general serv-
ice everywhere is poor that the public is los
inc confidence in it. This is resulting IN a with
drawal of patronage from the postofice.
One of the largest manufacturers 10 the city
names can be furnished if desiredl said to the
News:
eve send money by express now rather than
risk the delays incident to sending checks and
drafts by mail. One of our customers writes:
If there is anything the American people ought
to be grateful for it is the reform in the postal
service. It used TO take ten hours between De-
troit and Indianapolis; now letters get through,
perhaps, in ten days. On the Dayton route
letter / wrote twelve days ago has not reached
its destination"
The representatives of the express companies
say that their money order business has rapidly
increased since the Generalization in the post
Office began. Business men IN large numbers send
printed circulars to customers advising them to
use the express money order rather than the post
Office order or registered letter. If the express
money orders are lost, or do not reach their des-
tination, as now often happens, the order is
duplicated and the money guaranteed without
vexatious delay. Mr.. Folsom, of the American
Express Company, says that fully $4,000 of
orders per month now paid by him in this
city, aud that the business increases. The
cheapness of the orders Is cents for So; 20 cents
for 500 is of course, cause for the increase.
But the strongest evidence that the business is
DESERVING the possoffice is that the banks are rap
idly abandoning it. One banker says that he
does not rely upon the postofice for New York
business at all, but uses the express
companies. Especial delays and troubles
are reported by the same banker to
be chronic between Louisville and Indianapolis
and Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Much of the
mail for Cincinnati, made up after o'clock. has
been sent to Chicago. 1t seems that this mail is
sent north on the Big Four to meet the south
bound train, and by errors of the postal clerks,
the letters are thrown into Chicago instead of
Cincinnati sacks.
The annoyance from errors in the delivery of
letters is widespread An envelope before the
writer was mailed June 5 to an indianapolis ad-
dress. 1t was sent to Boston. and reached it's
proper destination after months travel An
other, mailed June 49, was not delivered until
July g. If these were solitary instances of error
not much complaint would result, but nearly ev-
cry man one meets is growing because his mail
has been miscarried and often because pecuni-
airy loss has resulted. 1t is becoming serious
matter