Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-10
TIE t CARRIERS.
that the Force at the Postoffic
IL Overworked.

Evidences that the Force at the Postohce
IL Overworked.
There ia little doubt bnt that the force
of letter carriers now employed in the dis
tribution Of mail in this city could be con-
siderably enlarged, with distinct advan-
tage to the service and the carriers them.
selves. That the force is overworked Is
very apparent to anyone who will take the
trouble to look into the matter, even in a
superficial way. The letter carrier system
was introduced into this city in August,
1873. At first there were five carriers,
which number has been increased from
time to time by the addition Of single ad-
ditional men, until the present force of
ten men has been reached. While the
force has thus been doubled In the fifteen
years during which the system has been
in operation here, the amount of work has
increased ten fold, and the figures Of the
monthly reports from Superintendent Al
bright are still going up at a most rapid
rate. How vastly the work of delivering
letters in Wheeling hasincreased, since the
Inauguration OF the carrier system, will
be seen from what follows:
During the first month Of the carrier
system, August, 1878, there were distrib-
uted in the whole of the city, a total of
but 81, 96S pieces of mail matter, an aver
age of but 1888 to each Of the five car
riers. Last month, there were distributed
in the city, a total Of 216, Asa pieces of mail
matter. or an average for the ten carriers
of 81, Gas. There is the same vast increase
in the collections Of mails, the total for
the month Of August, 1873, being but
about 5000 pieces, while last month the
collections were 156, 002 pieces, or over
thirty times as much. In other words,
there was q total of about $4,000 pieces oil
mail matter handled by the Wheeling car,
riers in 1873, as against 372, 456 pieces
during last month, and the work is increas'
ing at the rate of 10000 to $1,000 pei
month, the increase for Marchoye March,
1887, being 52,5O1.
The legitimate result Of this state of of.
fairs is that the letter carriers are very
much over worked. They are routed out
to commence their duties about four O'Clock
in the morning, and from that hour often
until after dark they are at their posts. On
the streets carriers can often he seen strug'
Cling under loads of mail matter sufficiently
large TO break their backs, and no sooner is
onelot O fstuff got rid Of than they must load
ND again. The amount Ofground the carriers
have to get over daily is in itself a very
large Job, and o general o%yerhauling Of the
system and the doubling of the force is
something very much needed.
The adjustment of the number Of car
riers is in the hands of the government in
sptctors, who come around about once in
so often and 20 through the formality OF
looking into the amount Of work done. An
inspector was here about a year ago, at
which time he took a large amount OF data
relating TO the carriers and their work,
but nothing in the way of IN increased
allowance of men came OF 1T. In fact,
there has been no increase in the force for
the past three years, while the work is pill
ing up in a ter rible manner.
The rapid and tremendous growth Of the
postal business of the city, shows very con-
clusively that the city has greatly adj
vanced in the past fifteen years, as there is
no more more accurate standard by which to
guage such things than that afforded by
the p~osiofice records.