Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-16
LET THERE BE LIGHT.
Dark Facts and Statistics About thu
Fort Worth Postoffice Of Our
Uncle Samuel
The Attention of the Powers that BE Be
spectfunE Called to ths Matter
and Relief Asked.
From Fridays March 81 Daily.

|
| A GAZETTE reporter had occasion yes
terdsy to visit the postoffice, snd seeing
Postmaster Field hard At work in the
cfice knocked at the door and was sd-
mitted.
"WeII, Captain, how sre postal shairs?"
"Busy as we can be, and every man
actually overworked, but yOu can see for
I yourself how the clerks on the inside sre
engaged, snd there go the letter carriers
on their rounds"
The reporter looked ct the letter-csr-
riers first and found the horseback men
getting into their saddles with difficulty
their pouches not only flied, but piled up
for eight or ten inches, the extra mail
held IN place with one hand. The men
on thu foot routes were loaded
down like pack mules. When it
is considered thst seven men
have to deliver mGil to thirty odd thou
sand people and cover four square miles
of territory, it is not surprising that they
should have more to do than can be
properly attended to. On the inside the
clerks were more than busy, they were
so pushed they could hardly keep up
with their work, and more, weeks at
time they have not dared to go home or to
S restaurant for dinner, but eat q sandwich
while they sre at work. Eight clerks
have to do all the work Including the
money order and stamp selling work. A
few figures will show what these eight
men have to d For thirty days past
they have received 23s. $50 letters, postal
csrds, etc They have handled and dis
patched 45, 900 pounds of second-clsss
matter (nswspspers), and nave received
81 600 pounds Of first, third and fourth
class pouch mail and second-class matter.
In the same month the money order
transactions amounted to 1856 The
amount CT stamps sold S28l7 At.
Captain, there Is some talk about
there beng no light in the lobby, so peo-
pie have to grope into the postOffice in tie
dark. How is this?"
"There is 81 allowance of S348 per an
mum for light and IS you see we have no
windows on either side, the light is cut
of from the front oY the partitions and
all the daylight va get is from the rear.
At times it Is SO dark we have to burn
sixteen gas Jets and then the light is not
sufficient. 1t is necessary to burn at least
one Jet all night. The consequence
is the gas bill is greater than the allow
ence and no light can be placed in the
lobby, although 1 would like to see one
there"
'What does the United States pay for
this building?"
"The contract is to pay 81 per year,
but that amount has never been paid yet"
"Whst does the government clear on
the Fort Worth postofiCe?'
"For the year which ends with Msrch
the net profit will be between $4,000
and Sl8, 900"
These are the facts. Now the question
is, is it right for the national government
to collect year in and year out surplus
from the people OF Fort Worth, to pay
nothing for postoffice building, to force
American citizens to feel their way in the
d,rk to their postofice boxes, to over
work the clerks and not provide proper
facilities for doing the public business.
When the true condition of sffairs is IN
derstood the committees having in charge
the bills for public building at Fort
Worth will certainly take prompt action.