Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-13
RULES FOR THE BOYS
Who Deliver Our Mail Laid Down
by the Postal Authorities.
WATCHING FOR CONFIDENCE MEN.
Carriers Warned Not to Tell all They
Know About People.
BEGGING AND BORROWING is BARRED
"Eyery morninr. as sure as the clock,

EVERY morning, as sure as the clock,
| Somebody hears the postman's KNOCK,
But everybody does not know that the
aforesaid letter carrier is governed by very
strict regulations.
Mr.. A. Young, Superintendent OF Car
riers, has Joined the great army of authors,
and he has the hattering assurance tnat his
work will be read by the class for whom II
is written. Advance copies issued yester-
day bear the Endorsement of Postmaster
Mexican, and on the fly leaf the latter gives
the following pertinent hints to letter car
| riers:
The tenure of your position in the service
will be enhanced by steadfast observance Oh
| the following cardinal rules, viz:
First-Uniform courtesy to the public,
Second-Sobriety and efficiency.
Third-Strict attention to duty.
Fourth-Cleanliness of uniform and person.
The book, which is neatly bound little
volume, contains an even so rules for the
| guidance of letter carriers. They are warned
not to smoke or drink while on duty, nor
are they allowed to enter saloons except to
receive or deliver mail matter.
A QUESTION FOR THE COURT.
A carrier called as witness in court and
asked concerning any matter involving the
| delivery of letters Is instructed to state that
the postal rules and regulations forbid the
giving of such information by postofice
employees, and advised to ask the ruling of
the Court on the question of his right to re-
| fuse an answer.
Carriers are not compelled to take chances
of hydrophobia. Rule 27 says:
Carriers are not required to run the risk of
being bitten by dangerous dogs in delivering
mail matter. Carriers will notify, in writing,
| persons keeping such dogs that they must call
at the postofice for their mail, or, If they wish
it delivered at their houses. must satisfy the
postmaster that it is safe for the carrier to so
deliver it.
Another rule, which is calculated 10 cause
trouble to people who work confidence games
through the mails, reads as follows:
When a carrier has good reason to suspect
that there is anything criminally wrong in the
| actions Of those around him, he should report
| the matter couf1dentially to the postmaster,
| who will hear him and take action, if be deems
| the matter of importance. without comprO-
| missing him, if il is possible not to do so.
GUARDING AGAINST GOSSIP.
Carriers are forbidden, under any circum-
stances, to return to persons letters which
have been deposited in the street mailing
boxes. Another rule, calculated to prevent
trouble in families, reads:
Carriers. having opportunity of obtaining
| much information of private character con-
| corning persons on their routes, should special
ly guard themselves against repeating any of it,
or in any way intimating that they are in pos
session OF facts that might be detrimental, If
| known, to those persons, and they will, under
| no circumstances. give any information to any
| one as to whether letters have or have not been
received by any one, including in this rule even
| members of the same family, whether they do
or do not live in the same house.
To prevent carriers from the annoyance of
daily facing their creditors, and to save the
| public at large from being more or less del
icately shaken down." the following regu-
| lations are mulgated:
Carriers who borrow money on their routes,
| OF otherwise contract debts which they are un-
able to pay will render themselves liable to Sc
we're censure or dismissal from the service ac-
| cording to the aggravation of the case.
Letter carriers are forbidden to solicit con-
| triburions of money. gifts or presents, in per-
son or through others; to issue addresses, COM
| plimentary cards, prints, publications, or any
substitute therefor, intended or calculated to
| induce the public to make them gifts pres
entsi to sell tickets on their routes to theaters.
| concerts, balls, fairs, picnics, excursions or
| places Of amusement or entertainment of any
| kind.
NO CHANCES TO BE TAKEN.
Some important rules governing the de-
| livery of mail matter are as follows:
Letters intrusted to carriers for delivery must
| not be thrown into windows or entries, nor be
| placed under doors. unless at the special
| written request of the person to whom the
| letter may be addressed, and they must not in
any be left on the steps, sticking in the sides
| Of the door, or thrown over the fence, or de-
| lIvered next door, or left on the first floor of
| building when intended for the other floors
unless in box prepared for the purpose. and
| they must not be left on the counters, ETC.. of
| stores when they should be delivered in the
counting rooms or at the desks of the proprie-
tors.
| A letter carrier is forbidden to deliver mail
matter on the streets, even to owners, unless
| they are known to be the persons addressed or
| their known messengers, and only when it can
be done without unreasonable delay.
Mail matter left at house for person who
| is not there at the time can be forwarded i'm
| mediately without extra postage-the "im-
mediately' being construed to mean any time
| within "A hours.
Obscene or profane postal cards will not be
| delivered. but will be returned TO the Superin-
| tendent if. by chance the carrier observes the
Objectionable matter.
The penalty for the infringement of the
rules is suspension or discharge.