The Hawaiian gazette., 1888-04-17
EDITORIAL
The PEOPLE AND THE POST.
OFFICE.
TEDTToRIAL.1


WITHOUT any intention of calling
II question either the facts or argu-
rnent Of the BulGiE. relative to the
public being behindhand at the Post
Chce on foreign mail days and thus
greatly Increasing the labor and LA
bility to mistakes Of the employees,
there Is q counterpart to the question
which may be discussed. That Is,
the duties 0f the Postoffice. or rather
Cf the Government. toward the public
IN relation 70 postal facilities. Hon.
:. g. Wilder once in the Legislature
discussing q proposed economy IN
the postal expenditure, remarked in
effect that If there was one branch Of
Government service more than an
other peculiarly belonging to the
people il was the postal department.
Therefore he contended, the Govern
lent was bound 10 furnish necessary
accommodation to the people in that
branch. even at a loss to the treasury.
The honorable gentleman's reason
lne carried the day. the saving that
- gong TO be injurious to public
Convenience being waived
People probably came to mail
their foreign missives in such a
rush ct tue closing hour, as
cur contemporary describes, that
the clerks were seriously incom
moded. Yet every individual of the
throng had an equal right with every
ether 10 take full advantage of the
advertised limit Of time. Had all the
people their letters and papers
stamped beforehand, probably there
would have been no cause of com
plant The window would not have
lad 10 be kept open beyond the APP
pointed time. letters and papers would
have been speedily cast into the re
cepuon boxes. and the whole force
got 10 work making them up In
deed. the fact that the Postmaster
General was able. as a special favor.
% receive mail matter 40 minutes
past the advertised time. without de-
tanning the steamer over 80 minutes,
would suggest that. with better facili-
ties for the public, closing time might
always be half an hour later than it is.
To relieve the congestion at
the window on the closing of the
mail. there are required increased
facilities for getting stamps and
weighing missives. also a system of
letter receiving boxes throughout the
city. With these lacks attended to.
the final crush would probably be
, Mined chiefly to business letters
lot ready till the last possible mo-
ment On the occasion Of despatch
ing the steamer Australia's mail. re-
ferred TO particularly in the Bulletin,
Il Is 9 fact that many people, includ
ing ladies. were not unduly late
considering their individual rights
IN coming to the Office, but there
were so many IN the same case that
many minutes elapsed before they
could reach the window to get
stamps. Sometimes it has been the
case that a polyglot crowd of people
engage a great portion of the clerks
time and very patient attention look
ing for letters for them while people
with matter to mail are fdgetting for
their turn
This and other difficulties could
toe reduced by having stamps
sold on mail days at some other
window OF place; and, what would not
be e reasonable grievance, suspend
ing all general delivery for an hour
or two previous to mail closing time.
Another reform in the same line
would be q reversion to the practice
n vogue a few years ago, of having
the bookstores keep stamps for sale
and weigh letters and give necessary
which they would doubt
less readily do for a reasonable com
mission on the sale of stamps. A re- |
vival Of the letter box system, with |
two collections daily, should not en-
tail unreasonable expenditure and 1
would certainly cause a large increase
IN postal business as well as do much 4
20 relieve the Jam at the Postofice.