Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-10-18
FIGURES OF MERIT.

OmCe-Ah0 OA.AOAs~A
port-Many Additional New Inn.
Drovements Made by Postmaster
Sperry.
Notwithstanding the multiplicity of the
made in the mail service in
New Haven since Postmaster Sperry took
hold last February, a summary of which
was given few weeks ago, many of these
additional facilities being Of notable and
radical nature, greatly adding to the
efficiency of the service, and affording
numerous new and important faster and
quicker connections with all western and
southwestern points, which are of great
qualification and real service, not only to
our greater, but many of our lesser bust
ness houses; Notwithstanding these changes,
all appreciated by the public, our post
master, unremitting in his zeal and efforts
for the public interest, has made many
more improvements which inure still more
to the public benefit and add to the well
won high name and rank Of our New Ha-
ven postof6ce, whose standard is among
the first in the union and matter of pride
to New Haveners. Mention was previous
~ made of the improvement in collections
from the mail boxes and designation of the
boxes by different colors, according to dis
tricts, and frequency of collection service.
AS to the collections as now made from
the street letter boxes. From those paint
ed red, collections were formerly made
seven times day. Now from the red let
ter boxes collections are made eighteen
times day, commencing at a. m. and
ending at 10 p. m. The number of the
yellow letter boxes has been largely in
creased, fifty-four additional boxes coming
within q radius of one mile having been
added. From these boxes there are seven
collections daily, or one collection in every
two hours. The green boxes, which for
merly had but one collection day, have
now three day, Even the remotest limit
of the delivery, that to the Morris Cove
section, is now covered twice day. There
has been also an increase of three addition
al carriers and one additional wagon.
The package boxes which have been
placed in position in different parts of the
city are largely patronized, SO that the
number Of packages for last month was
about 100 per cent more than in the pre-
ceding month, showing that these are
greatly appreciated by the public. Addi-
tional boxes have also been placed in the
section covered by the green boxes.
Twenty-seven additional mails have been
added and are daily dispatched from the
office since February l last and twenty
one additional pouches from different
places are daily received. commencing
from that period
The daily collection from all the boxes
of letters and packages has increased at
least one-third.
An additional window has also been pro-
vided for stamps, making also changes in
the money order room, that the public
may be better accommodated in the holi-
day season about approaching.
A few weeks ago Postmaster Sperry
caused to be published in the vestibule a
| notice to all box holders requesting them
when errors occur in the boxing of letters
| to report the same to him, or his assist
| ant, instead of giving them to the clerks.
| The first day after the order was given,
| twenty-five letters were handed in as
being put in the wrong box. The number
has been steadily decreasing until now
| only from four to five errors are reported
| daily, q most obvious Improvement.
We come now to speak of still another
improvement, novelty in postoffice an
nails in the country outside of four or five
| of the very largest After Mr.. Sperry had
| completed his examination of the clerks Of
the different railroad routes, made in order
| to ascertain as to their efficiency and cor
rectness in asserting for the differen
| routes and different postofices, he bega1
this novel examination. First, he served
| a notice upon the clerks that he proposed
to test their efficiency in asserting thu
| mails for the boxes and the various CARR
ers' routes, some forty-one in oil. A two
| months notice was given to the clerks o.
this impending examination to ascertain
their ability to assert the letters not only
for the boxes, but for the various carriers
routes. The information thus sought fol
was to ascertain, for example, whether ,
clerk knew where Bridget Donnelly ivet
or Sam Jones lived, so that in the as
sorting of letters they might be PLACED
in the proper boxes or in the prope
receptacle for each carrier and with al
possible dispatch. This, of course, neces
STATED every clerk to know on which car
rier's route the letter should be sent Il
is true that the box holders are changing
their boxes, and the residents of the city
many of them, are changing their resi-
dences from one carriers route to anoth
er's, and great diligence and study il
therefore required on the part of thes'
| officials to enable them to keep up will
| the changes. Hence the examination, tn,
| result of which follows below, has beef
made; and the result of that examination
is given to each individual clerk that the,
may know their standing, position ant
percentage Of efficiency. Captain But
ricks, being an outsider, SO to speak, from
the postotEce officials proper, being the heat
clerk of the postoffice railroadwritcs located
at New Haven, was the proper man to max
this examination being wholly uninfiu
enced and not coming in special contac
examination is given below and may YER.
justly be considered TO be u splendid show
ing. This examination will be repeated
every six months, giving the clerks suffici
| ent time to be posted before another ex
animation will be made.
MR.. BUTRICK's REPORT.
! Hon. N. D. Sperry, Postmaster
| In accordance with your request l have con
| Quoted and completed an examination Of tn
| clerks engaged in the distribution of New Have
| city mails, and beg to submit a report of tn
in the distribution of sol cards addressed to per
| sons holding boxes in the New Haven postofhce
the the Of 0 the
| whether the party addressed was a box holder
| and If not, upon what route he resided and wha
carrier delivered the mail.
/ Eight clerks were examined and the result wa
as follows:
No. correctly distributed $50 cards, maxim,
81 errors; percentage correct 81: IS.
| No. 2 correctly distributed 576, making IS er
| rors; percentage correct 81. 46.
No correctly distributed 586 making errors
percentage correct 99.15.
| No 4 correctly distributed 572, making 10 er
| rorS; percentage correct 9678.
No. correctly distributed 531 cards, making
| go errors; percentage correct 89.S
No correctly distributed 573 cards, making Il
/ errors; percentage $685.
| No. correctly distributed 81 cards. making Q
| errors; percentage correct 96. 81.
| No. 8 correctly distributed 583 cards, making
| errors; percentage correct 81. "a.
You will observe that these eight clerks hay
distributed 4, 72s cards, Of which number 4,5e
were correctly distributed and only 1853 incorrect
ly; the total percentage correct being 1914
| which is a very creditable showing for you
| Office and indicating that the clerks have mad
| diligent study of the distribution.
or the cards Incorrectly distributed sixty-fv
| were addressed to box holders, and am induce,
to offer the suggestion that the clerks should b
l required to make frequent examinations of tn
| box list in order to keep up with the change
l which must frequently occur.
This examination of clerks engaged In assert
ing the mails for carriers and boxes Is q new dc
parture in postoffice matters and with possibl
the exception Of the half dozen of the large
offices, is the first OF the kind to take place. Al
| though novel, the idea is q good one and I an
convinced the result as for as your Office is con
think it would be well to have it understood tina
| these examinations are permanent feature
the New Haven postoff1ce and that as often a
| once in six months the clerks will be required t.
| give evidence of their knowledge Of the work en-
/ trusted to their care.
| enclose herewith a statement Of the result o
each clerks examination.
Your obidient servant,
/ M A. BuTR1cKs
Chief clerk, r. M. s..
A debit and credit account of errors ant
merits of the clerks is being kept by tn
assistant postmaster in order to rating O
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