Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-06
NEW POSTAL KINKS.
Large Numbers of Them Are Recon-
mended by John Wanamaker.
HE FAvORs A DISTRICT SYSTEM
Fewer tfices, More Centralized and Free
Lural Delivery.
PNEUMATIC TUBES ARE ceMING MKT

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.-Postmaster Gen.
eral Wanamaker, in his annual report,
after reviewing the statistics given the pub
lie through the reports of his division chiefs,
says:
I believe fully that great advances could
be made in the direction Of country free de-
livery by an evolution of the Star route
service, and we would see free delivery 70
persons living along the hig hways trsversed
by the Star route contractors with little, II
any, increased cost to the department. In O
very few years.
In the matter os the collection of mail
from letter boxes at house doors, Mr.. Wana-
maker says:
In Washington City. where the test Of one
of these boxes was made for one month, an
hour or more per day was saved to the car
rier; and in st. Louis, where the test of
another one OF these boxes was purposely
made as hard as possible, it was found that
there was actually no loss of time, and the
postmasters Of St. Lonis and Washington
promptly and unQualifiedly declared that
the collection OF mail from honses could be
undertaken by the present carrier forces.
The work OF Introducing the house letter
box is now vigorously under way.
Postal Facilities for the Country.
OF his proposition to divide the country
into postal districts, Mr.. Wanamaker says:
This. like the other great postal reforms,
can be only q question OF time. The pro-
posed system would accomplish in practi-
cal way the purpose of the bill to select
fourth-class postmasters without political
Intervention. We shall soon grow to loo. 600
postoff1ces and to 100000 or 10000 postal
employees. There must be contraction, con-
solidation and simpliieatiOB, and with 1t
all, the extension of facilities everywhere
will be not only possible, but perfectly easy
and natural.
New buildings and q pneumatic or an
electrical service of some kind is strenu-
ously advocated for New York, Chicago
and other large cities. Tho postal tele-
graph and postal telephone are, of course,
strenuously advocated, as formerly. OF
one-cent postage, Mr.. Wanamaker says:
''1n my report of year ago I said, and
have now to say. that one-cent letter post
age is near possibility.
Would Do Away With Box Rents.
The Postmaster General, also, advocates
q classification of clerks, and submits bill
for the purpose; urges regular pay r SUBJ
stitute carriers and a certain payment to
carriers for leaves of absence; advocates the
abolition of box rents and private letter
Offices; urges the reduction of money order
fees, the simplifcation of the postal note 90
that it better supplies the need of fractional
currency, and suggests how applications for
money orders can be made easier. The re-
port closes with the following:
My ideal for the American postal service
is a system modelled upon q district plan,
with fewer offices and those grouped around
central offices and under thorough supervis-
ion. By this means, at least 10000 Offices |
could he abandoned that produce nothing |
to the Department In the place of every |
abolished non-money order and non register |
1ffhf herr
ing machine and a letter box to receive
mail. With the money saved should be in /
stituted a system of collection and delivery |
by mounted carriers. bicycles, and Star |
gradual spread Of free delivery all over the |
country. The classes OF postage should be |
reduced TO three. and the rate of postage |
the orld over to cent for each half ounce, |
for the average weight OF q letter 10 now |
of an ounce. would idemni- |
~ to the extent OF $40 for every lost regis |
tered letter.
Tires New General Officers Needed.
The organization of the department |
should be permanent. except in the case Of |
the Postmaster General and the fourth |
assistant, and would add three new officers: |
A Deputy Postmaster General. to be sta
toned at New York, q Deputy Postmaster
General, to be stationed in San Francisco,
lnd Controller, to be stationed at the De- /
in Washington. AL postmasters,
Presidential and fourth class, and all eln.
ployes in all branches of the department
should have specific term OF four years,
On good behavior, and their reappointment
should be subject to the Controller OF the
Department, whose Judgment should be
based upon records. I would unity tho
work, hold it uD by strong, q controlling |
III points, equalize and advance the pay, |
make the promotions in every branch for
merit alone, and retire old or disabled |
,lerks, perhaps on pension fund to be pro.
n I'd lyyo rNdx- k<Nf hal -
per cent out of each months sAlary.
A postal telegraph and telephone SER
7lce, the postal savings repositories, pneu-
natic tubes or some electrical device be-
ween city substations and main ofices,
erries, railroad stations and central offces |
II all large cities, should be employed with
'ut delay.
More Economy In Postoff1ce Buildings.
The erection of immense, costly buildings
or Dostoff1ces ought to be stopped, and the
department. ought to be allowed to expsnd O
lxed sum OF from 81 ,000, 900 to IS 600, 900 each
ear in the erection Of buildings upon a
Ixed plan, such as Postmaster General Villas
|
/ would grant larger discretion to the
cad OF the department. to experiment with
,ostal inventions. and fix stated periods in
he order OF business OF the House and Sem
to Postoffice Committees to Gull upon the
postmaster General for Information and
ensure alike, at which time, too. he could
ave an opportunity, within right limita-
ion, to present postal subjects.
would modify the system Of fines and
eductions upon railroads, and establish a
ystem of compensation based upon speed
20, - 10, 80, 60-mile an hour rate. BY this
means railroad compensation would not
ost any more, and we should soon be run
ing mail trains between New York and
,hicago in Is or is hours, and between. New
vork and Boston in four hours.
ourop TurIp pay1Iu1rv