Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-09-30
AUGUSTA LOCALS.
House DELIVERY.
Postmaster Stinssas Views On the Seu System
which Ne MAJ Hope to Obtain

the po-tulxsfers room in the Government
building yesterday To enquire about the
order OF Postmaster -tseRcral Wanamakef
concerning lolse ietter boxes TO. the coli
lection and delivery OF rail In answer 20
the inquiry, Postmaster Stinsoa said, : u
i a wr,l ksawn thin. that the postmaster
general has iroaght HoFs business into the
serFtce than any previous. postmaster gen,
,ral ever has Traise,i, he has bern,
to business uieti,osis, lie has quickly seen
and appreciated the wants Of basiuess men
and Of the public Il is the fashion IN
certain quarters TO siur at Mr.. Hana
maker, and To criiis'ise hial, but VIII yea
ture to say that there has never oeea a
Postmaster General since the days Of Ben
ianla Franklin that has brought as many
improvements into the service, sn'l been 20
alert 10 the needs of the public, as the
fre,..nt one. With his characteristic en-
eryx. Mr.. Wnamaker has for some time
past. IN a practical Nsy, had representatives
from different eit.e- examining the proper
boxes for the delivery of mail al houses
and Il commission appointed by him have
in the past year examined over Twelve hun
dred devices. They have settled on about
FIVE kinds of boxes, all bat one of which, !
believe, are designed both for collection
and delivery. They have been tested IN
large cities, notably ST. Louis, and it has
been found that Il house 20 hoa,c delivery
and collection Is practicable thing. In
consequence Of this, number of the larger
Offices in the country have been notified to
inform the public of this system aud its adj
yantagts naier the system proposed,
il wo-thir,ls of the inhabtant-
on ans lctter-carricrs route notify the post
ma, ter that they desire thi. double service,
AMI agree To erect these boxes ON their
! houses, then the postmaster Is Obliged to
make the proper arrangements. of course
the chief reason why the new double ser
vice will be sueeessfulIs that the household
! err ha. the advantage, rs never before, OF
dropping mail at his own door, and wher
| the carrier makes his delivery round, he
I collects whatever outgoing mail there ma,
| be in the box. Il is belle we'd that the safety
/ of the mail would be much greater as the
( chance of securing booty enough to pay fol
risk would be too small for the mail robber
! but its great point is the convenience whicl
I h, or
/ Street letter boxes would, of course, be pa
I tronized Just the SAME and there would be
| fewer letters left in coat pockets, where th'
mailing OF them is forgotten
DO YOU intend to put this system int,
! Augusta" was asked by the reporter.
/ II do not know. You have asked D.;
question that am hardly prepared to an
swcr. Tie trials of this house to house coliec
/ ton AS near as can see have only been mad,
in densely populated cities, where it has
/ undoubtedly, proved success. Personally
/ | desire to do everything possible for tn,
/ convenience of the public, but | have SOM,
doubts as to the practicablity of this sys
/ TEN III small towns like Augusta The let
ter carriers are under the eiglIt-hour law
and their actual working daily average fol
seven days in the week runs several minute,
over seven hours. The law for
biIs their making an average of ovel
eight hours per day. Now, fol
| instance, if these boxes were generally uset
| in this town, and carrier were going al
| Winthrop street, he might not have Il single
/ letter for delivery on Summer or Elm
( streets, and yet, because of the collection
/ he must make of these boxes, he must q
/ through both those streets and this extr;
city. | cannot see but that on every deliv
cry the carrier would be obliged to cove
his entire territory, which, in Il sparsel,
settled district, means the consumption o
much extra time. The great difficulty il
that it is very hard thing to obtain add
tiona carriers, and that tie law compel
me to restrict their services to Il Ger
tain number of hours. should rattle
put twenty five additional street letter boxe
at different points i'll the city, than to under
take to successfully and satisfactorily at
| tempt this house to house collection. Bu
at the proper time the different house boxe
will be on exhibition. and the people o
| Augusta can see for themselves the merit
of the boxes and the system AMI its in,li
vi1ual cost to the householler and if two
thirds of the people on any given rout'
desire it, they shall receive the service SOM,
way without curtailing the present service.
In this connection it may be well to sa,
that am already considering how best I,
accomplish letter delivery on Malta Hill
| and more extensively on the east and ives
sides of the river. The restrictions of tn,
| eight hour law and the difficulty in obtain
/ ing An addition to the force of carriers rem
| lcrs it impossible for me at present to Civ,
my IDEAS of the extension of this service
| but hope eventually to he able to accom-
plish my intentions without detrimvut t
our present service"
RICHMOND.
| The shoe factory question still forces itself
to the front. A meeting of gentlemen inter