The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-10
NOT CLERKS ENOUGH.
THE SAVANNAH POsTOFFICE EN-
PLOYEs OVERWORKED.

Mailing Clerk Tunno Resigns-Post-
master Lamar Says the Government
Won't Give Him Enough help to
Run the Postofhce-A Word About
the Late Mails.
The mailing clerks in the postof1ice are
complaining of oyerwork, and Robert G..
Tunno has resigned. There are three clerks
in the mailing department. They say that
they have TO be at the Office at 4 o'clock in
the morning to makeup the going mails,
and under a recent schedule one of them
had to remain on duty until after midnight
to receive the mail from the north-bound
Atlantic Coast Line express, which arrives
at II :53 o'clock at night. The trouble seems
to be that the postotfice is lacking in clerical
force.
Postmaster Lamar was seen yesterday.
and was asked about the matter. He said
that he did not know why Clerk Tunno had
resigned. He has selected his successor, but
until the appointment is confirmed he pre-
ferred not to make any announcement.
LARGER FORCE NEEDED.
Referring to the inadequate clerical force
Of the office, Capt. Lamar says that
an extra mailing clerk is badly needed.
clerk, and who would not only be at the
postoitice during the night TO distribute the
mails, and sort the mails for the carriers
but who would be there for the better pro-
lection of the Office, which is now locked up
at night and has not even janitor.
An additional registry clerk is needed, the
postmaster says. The present registry clerk
must be at the postofiice by 5 o'clock in the
morning, and during his absence at break
fast and dinner the stamp clerk must keep
the work of both up, and the registry clerk
often loses his supper, as he must remain at
his desk until the mail arrives, whether it
be early or late.
"What steps have you taken to get your
clerical force increasedp Capt. Lamar was
asked.
SOMETHING WRONG SOMEWHERE.
He replied that he brought to tho atten-
ton of the postoffice department, under the
last administration, the large increase in
the mails of Savannah, and urged that the
needed additions to tine clerical force should
be granted, but all the satisfaction be could
get was that the department would take it
under advisement,n and he added that the
department had it under adVisement when
the administration went out Of power He
expressed the opinion that the last admins
tration would not increase the force as re-
quested because it was too parsimonious.
ton for more clerical help since the present
administration has been in powerP
Yes, on two occasions; and they say that
they will take it under ADJUSTMENT. Mean
time, the business has continued to increase
beyond the ability Of the present force to
handle the mails as expeditiously as it
should be done.n
DO the postoffice employees work under
the eight-hour law"
mum rrrcrY,r now, = ~ ,>ows.-...
"None but the mail carriers. The law
applies only to them, and there is not one of
the postofiice attaches, other than the car
rlers, who do not work more than eight
hours every day."
IF you have no one at the postoffice all
night, how do you work the mail which
comes in at midnight from Jacksonvillep'
by arrangement it is held over until
morning, and sent to the postoffice at
O'clock
Capt. Lamar was asked if the mails are
coming more regularly than awhile back,
and he replied that they are not: that the
Inali service is simply abominable, and par
ticularly the northern mails coming on the
Charleston and Savannah road and the
southern mails by the Savannah, Florida
and Western railway. He expressed the
opinion that the roads are trying to do too
much business, and this has tended to delay
the mails continuously, and the delay of
the northern mails is particularly embar-
RAISING to merchants, and it discommodes
them very much The northern, southern,
and western mails ought to get here within
half an hour of each other, and merchants,
when the mails are on time, can take up ell
their correspondence at one time and dis
pose of it, but the manner in which the
mails have been coming and are now
being received is vexatious and abominable
MUST BE A BIG RECORD.
do you report to the postal authorities
when the mails are behind time!"
YES in every instance. Every mail be-
hind time is reported promptly to Supt
Terrell, who receives daily reports
from the Savannah office, and the route
agents are also required to report to him in
the same way, giving the cause of any
delay The Savannah Office also reports
monthly to the postoffics department at
Washington each mail delayed during the
month, giving the cause OF delay as far as
! it can be ascertained, and we also report
the cause of the delay to Supt.
Terrell. Our only avenue of information
as to the causes of delay is through the rail-
road officials"
Empty pouches are brought from Will
mington 70 Savannah on the train which
arrives here at sos o'clock a. m. ahead of
the fast mail. Could they not as we'll be
| filled, and thus get the northern mail to Sa-
vannah earlierg
MIGHT BE LOOKED INTO.
81 have no knowledge that such pouches
are brought. 1t is not a matter under nv
control; anyway | do not think there is any
such arrangement. Supt. Terrell is one of
the most efficient in the service, and has
| charge OF the railway mail service in this
section. If such an arrangement were pos
sible, he would have remedied the condi-
ton of affairs before this. The trouble
with the mails is not with the
postal authorities, but with the railroads.
IL the excuses they make to the postoffice
department at Washington for delays are
deemed reasonable aud unavoidable, they
are excused if not, they are under their
contract with the government fined for any
unreasonable and unavoidable delay in the
transmission Of the mails"
a Woll-Kant Prison