The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-11
improving Things at the
Postoffice.
m Effort 10 Get More Than One De-
avery Day
stcaiy Increase of Business and De-
eioping Demands

Providence postoffice facilities are just
about 30 years behind time, or perhaps
ii would be better To say the service ~
very much lacking when compared with
that OF other New England citles, ana
that in face the fact that the Providence
posto flee ranks among the best of the ~
foremost offices in the country, as re-
CARDS the amount of business done and
the money II deposits In Uncle Sans
treasury. This oirce nets anywhere from
S12, 900 To $50, 900 per month, and yet In
some of the outlying residential portions
OF the city there is but one carriers de-
livery a day, while in other parts there
are two deliveries; there are no sub
Stations, no stamp az encies, and no pack
age stations; that Is, places where one
can have packages weighed and stamped
and leave them TO be collected by wagons
sent out from the postotiice.
Boston Is the banner New England city,
OF course, i'm this respect, having at least
20 sub-stations, IS stamp agencies and
about as many package offices But even
other cities are ahead OF Providence,
Worcester alone having seven su ub-stations
and Taunton three.
10 be sure, Providence will have all
these later on. and IL Is understood that
Postmaster Hayward is TO take the ini-
tiative before long ana forward a-request
10 Washington 10 have few OF these
needed reforms instituted here.
undoubtedly, why the citizens haven't
complained directly TO the Government.
In discussing the situation, yesterday,
Assistant Postmaster Walker interestingly
explained TO The NEWS about the car
rier service. For a long time there have
been but two deliveries a day among resi-
denoes, one in the forenoon and one in
the afternoon, because the increasing
needs in the business sections have made
IL necessary from time TO time TO take
carriers TO the residential routes. These
demands from business men have been
increasing gradually and We're promptly
complied with because II Is more lmpor-
iant for firm 10 receive its mail prompt
ly than for the housewife or the family
at home. The sense OF this II obvious
and az once apparent. And the impor-
tance is emphasized as the great numb CT
OF large business blocks increase.
There are the Lauderdale, Butler Ex-
change, Francis, Studley, Kent q Stanley,
Hodges, Industrial Trust, and other large
offices and store building which have
been recently constructed and are rapidly
filing up. The new 10-story building on
the old Grosvenor estate Will also great
ly increase the already strained demand,
as IL Is about all one letter carrier can do
TO deliver all the letters sent 10 either
one OF these buildings. In fact, II is
practically equal TO an ordinary route.
Then, another and very important task
vii! be added as soon as Brown UnlVer-
sity opens this month. Up 10 July of this
year-the university corporation had a box
at the postofiioe and all the mail for the
students and others were put into II, one
oi the college students calling for it and
distributing II at the college That box
has been given up and the possofiice
folk have been requested to deliver II M
the University. There are about 500 stu
dents at the college this year and when
the room address Is given the carrier must
find 1t and deliver IL, as TO a residence.
OF course the college people cannot ex-
pect this matter to be delivered as
promptly as that intended for either busi-
ness Offices or houses, but the authorities
will have to make special arrangement
TO I'LL the bill.
Mr. Walker says that he knows that
where there Is now but one delivery q
day TO residences there ought TO be more
at least two-but II cannot be helped.
He has talked with authorities in other
citles and is convinced that two deliver
eios 10 houses gives very good satisfac'
tion and he is in hopes TO soon be able
TO see that that is the rule throughout
the city.
II IL hardly to be expected, however,
that the present officials, who have held
the positions for a few months only,
can move as rapidly as though they had
been 10 or 20 years in the business, and
they do not care 10 move in the dark,
They promise relief, however, as soon a:
rract ica bla