The morning call., 1891-10-10
THE PosroFFICE SITE.

Whichever site the Government had Sc
lected Tor the new Postoffice people would
probably have grumbled. a site on or near
Union square was the public's popular
choice; hut some Of the present complaints
are not quite reasonable. As to the value
Of the property outsiders differ. and besides
it IS a very large lot-thfee hundred and
nifty by three hundred and twenty-five feet
Ast0 the site being out of the way, it is
hard to say what point will be central
twenty years hence. When the New City
Hall was founded it was said that it was
away out IN the country. 1t IS pretty cen
tral now Nobody complains of the dis
t,nc- Of the SUPERIOR courts and the munich
Ia. off es. There is nearly as much OF the
city west Of the New City Hall as there is
east The new Postoffice will be within a
couple Of blocks Of the City Hall and within
one block Of the main thoroughfare.
Il happens that in all the great cities the
general Postodice is on a site which is really
rentral. In New York it is convenient to
the business quarters, midway between the
dry-gaods center and the banking center
Ia Chicago and Philadelphia it is in the
Heart Of the business portion of the city. In
London 1t is just off Cheapsde, and in Paris
it IS close to the Bank and the Bourse. In
tie TWO latter cities the sites were chosen
long a-o, AMI business gravitated toward
them. In Chicago and Philadelphia land
owners facilitated the purchase Of suitable
sizes in localities which were then and
promise to remain central. In New York
be- same difficulty was encountered in pur-
chasing d site as here, and the city had TO
come to the rescue of the Government by
n n n Lilo nork A
ton which was put forth here that the city
might cede portion of Union square did
not command public approval.
As a matter of fact the people at large are
MT very much interested in the location Of
the general Postoffice. There are eight sub
Offices where they can transact all the postal
business they have; at every second block
t.ere is a box for the reception of mail mat
ter, and three or four times a day the car
rier leaves letters and papers at their adj
dresses. The system has been brought to
such completeness that a san Franciscan
does not need to know where the general
Postuffiee is any more than the Partisan,
who often lives his life through without ever
seeing the institution. If the station offices
are carefully managed, they should satisfy
the public wants.
But the removal Of the general distribu-
ton ard reception offices from Washington
street to Mission and Seventh will require
some Few arrangements for the transpOrta-
ton of the mails through the city. At the
present time the mail pouches for the east
the north and the south are not closed till
tie very last moment that will permit fast
wagon to catch the ferry-boat TO Oakland.
If the wagon has to start from Mission and
Seventh the pouches will have to be closed
fifteen minutes sooner, or separate pouches
VIII have to be made up at station on the
site of tie present Postofice, or at the sta
tiOn on the wharf. Again, if the mail bags
on arriving at the foot OF Market have
to be carried to Mission and Seventh before
they are opened and their contents distlD-
uted, the mails Will reach their destination
nearly half an hour later than now. This
will be progress backward, hence plans will
have to be devised to avoid the incon-
Venipupp