Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-12-30
New York noFnin6 Papers Read b
Augusta Same EIsninS.
6upt. BissloW Interviewed, Describes
Rssults OF Wanamaker's Business
Management Classified Service on
iy Part OF n Needed Reform.

lie sdll- II nave N0tcneu IN
growth of the New England Divisio
almost from its infancy. Com nencing viii
a single line between New York and Bos
ton, with the employ yment OF score Of men
it now covers practically every railroad il
New England and employs 450 men.
can safely say that there has been NOR
progress made within tt last six months il
New England than there has been durinl
any two years Of its previous history"
What about the Improvements whicl
have been madey'
Soon after being recalled to the super
intendency of this division, was called t,
Washington to confer with Postmaster
General Wanamsker and General Superin
tendent Bell, as to the necessities of thii
New England service. At that time thu
condition of the service was much disturbed
by the too hasty reorganization which had
been brought about by Postmaster Genera
Dickinson, during the last two years of Mr.
Cleveland's administration. More than twC
hundred and fifty of the old and competent
clerks hac been removed without cause
except political, to make room for inexper.
fenced men. The drst step taken by Post
MASTER General Wanamaker was to pu
back the best of these old clerks, and te
thoroughly reorganize the service. At thai
time more than five hundred sacks OF
newspaper mail and nearly as many
packages of letters were being turned
into the Boston Office unworked
from the railway post office lines. This
resulted in not only delay to this vast mai
bu' in greatly demoralizing the Boston pos,
office itself. Additional force was given to
strengthen the principal lines, and this to.
gether with the putting back of the old mer
worked an entire reform.
We are Low turning in no unworked mail
working every piece on the cars, which il
certainly decided gain over aav previous
year in the working Of the railway mai
service.
When assumed charge Of the first divi-
sion in April last the letter mail coming from
New York and the South to Boston, reach
ed Boston at such hours that they could no,
be assorted for the first delivery Of carriera
and we're delayed in their delivery
from two to twelve hours. General
Superintendent Bell made an order
that all city mails for Boston and New York
in turn should be made up on the trains
ready for immediate delivery TO boxhold-
ers, carriers and stations, 80 that in one
half hour after reaching destination letters
were in the hands Of their owners. Since
this time it has been extended to the Boston
& Albany line land today the people Of Bos-
ton enjoy more largely than any other city
in the United States this improvement.
In April last there was no connection
with the New England States Of the fas,
all q m
In fact. when Postmaster General Dicker-
son established this service New England
was not taken into the calculation
The whole aim Of the postal author
tiles seemed to be to serve New York
and Chicago, with no eye to New
England interests whatever. Great credit
is due to general superintendent Bell of the
railway mail service for his labors during
the past season in revising the running
schedules of these fast mails between New
York and Chicago. In fact, these fast
mails have been extended nnder his admin.
stration to the Pacific slope, 80 that let
ters mailed at the close of business in San
Francisco can now be placed in the hand.
of the Boston reader one hundred and ten
hours from tbs hour of mailing We are
now making direct connection at Albany
with this fast mail and giving to Boston
and in fact entire New England the full
benefits of this important service.
We have placed during the past few
months a new line of full line Of postal cars
between Boston and Albany making impor
tant connections both ways. We have
added one full 4 2. o. postal line between
Boston and New York, via Providence, Civ
ing the people along that route the first day
line of railway post office ears they ever
had We are now able with this new line
to take the New York daily papers at 5
O'Clock in the morning reaching Boston
at IL 80 p. NJ, and Augusta the same even
ing, thing unprecedented in the history Of
the railway mail service.
Hitherto there has been q great conten.
ton between the post office authorities Q,
Washington and the Old Colony railroad
system. With one exception there has
never been railway post office line
run over the branches of the Old
Colony railroad, occasioning great in
convenience and delay Of mails to al
the busy, manufacturing towns covered BY
its numerous branches. Under the wise
administration of Sup. .rintendent Bell the
y
worthy of its great interests, and are nov
building postal cars to run between Bostor
AID Provincetown, Boston and Plymouth
Boston to Newport via Fall River, and be
tween Boston and Providence
1 believe without wishing TO taie any un
due credit myself that the railway mail ser
vice is in better condition today and i
doing better pork than at any period of il
existence. There is much more TO do Il
pe rice. the service. An hundred improve
ments are pressing themselves for immedi
ate adoption, and with q generous appropia
ton and few more men they eau be had
Then the New England division can b.
made more efficient than any othe
division in the country. We hav
men far above the average. Thes
men seek employment nearer home, Will
in many other parts of the country sue
men would enter other avenues 70
business.
Postmaster General Wanamaker. think
impresses every postal man who has com
in contact with him with an earnestness an
real uhich | have never met before Wit
any of his predecessors. and l have bee
intimately acquainted with eleven of them
The great business he has built up an
managed in Philadelphia has given him jus
the experience that is needed in the poi
Office department to conduct it successfully
The post office department 10 empbaticall
the department where such an experienc
is needed. One who enters into converss
ton With him cannot fail TO be in
pressed that he fully eomprehends tn
necessities Of every branch of this grei
service. His report think will show ths
he looks upon it as only in its infancy, An
| that to NEE. the wants of great and grow
ing country like this it must itself grow
| That i, must cxpend vast Gums Of none
which will not be Immediately returned
| its treasury, but will in the end pay q
hundredfold to an appreciative people"
Superintendent Bigelow's attention VI
called to the recent extension OF the rule
of the classified service to the railway ma
service, and ~ to is results, and whe
asked his views he replied:
These rules we're applied to our servit
on May |, since which time they have bee
strictly enforced. do not know Of q sing
instance where they have been evaded ,
where any attempt has been made to evsf
II presume it 10 we'll known to every 20
tai man at least, that ve hAd under the o
! arrangement something kindred 10 n e
suinsfion before men were allowed to
permanently appointed in the railvsy =
service. More than fifteen ysafs ago G,
George 8. Bangs Of lllinois, ons Of Z
most eminent Of postal men in this count