Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-29
COLLECTION AND DELIVERY
Postmaster Willett Replies to Some Reoent
49, Complaints
How the Midnight Delivery Was Test
. ed-The Afternoon Service of
the Carriers.

Complaints have reached The Star re-
earding the change in the system of col
lections and delivery and also regarding
the system of working letter carriers in
vogue in the city post office. These COM
plants are in effect that the abolition of
tie 430 delivery has resulted in less con-
venience to the public and that the mid
night collection, which requires working
the men at a late hour. has not been Judi
cious. and that the system of working the
letter carriers. as set forth by one cor
respondent of The Star is a violation of
the spirit of the eight-hour law. in that
there is an interval during the eight hours
of work when men are not on duty. but
when they are unable to employ their time
except In waiting to go to work to finish
their days labor.
A Star reporter called on Postmaster
Willett today and these complaints being
stated Mr.. Willet replied:
Our midnight service has proven to be
thoroughly successful. Before this serv-
Ice was put into effect we gave IL test
without any preliminary announcement to
the public, that the results were not
affected in any way. From February 20 to
March 4, when this test was made, the
midnight service resulted in the collection
Of 32.412 letters. At the same time the
4:3O am. collection was continued. and
those collections resulted in LIES letters
that according to the old system the g., l12
letters taken up on the midnight collection
would have lain in the boxes until the
morning collection, and the result would
have been they would miss the night trains.
Now, practically all of the letters to go on
trains taken up a. the midnight collection
are out of The city before the letters would
have reached the post office under the old
system. Nothing could be demonstrated
as being more desirable in facilitating the
mails better than 90 these facts demon
strate that the midnight collection is a
success.
ut has been complained that this late COL
lection requires the carriers to be up late at
night, but our policy Is the greatest good to
the greatest number AS matter of fact
there is less inconvenience to the carriers by
Icing kept up late than there would be by
having to get up a an early hour in order to
make the 4:30 am. collection. This early
morning collection has been done away with.
and in its place there is collection at .
O'Clock in the morning.
The Afternoon Delivery.
Formerly there was an afternoon delivery
at o'clock and another at 4s30 pm. 1t was
found that the 4:s0 delivery reached most
of the offices after they were closed and for
that reason was unsatisfactory. Now
the , o'clock and 80 o'clock deliveries have
been consolidated and one delivery is made
at $780, which has been found to be more
satisfactory. OF course. there may be few
the delivery at 1870. but, as 1 have said, our
policy must necessarily be the greatest good
to the greatest number
There Is one custom prevailing among
some of our people," continued Mr. Willett
that think could be changed beneffcially
Some people who have a complaint about
their mail will send a communication to a
newspaper. In which they will state their
complaint in a general way. but in such a
manner that 1t is impossible for 1t to be
investigated by the post office. 1 think
that is a very unfair way of seeking to
correct any mistake that may occur. Of
course we, receive many complaints daily
and they are all Investigated. hut in ninety
nine cases out Of u hundred 1t is found
that The fault complained of WAS one that
the post office was not responsible for. The
post office is anxious to give the very best
service possible and 1t can only do so by
the cooperation of the citizens using the
mails. Whenever a carrier is shown TO
have made a mistake through carelessness
he Is called to account and laid OF duty
for several days. SO that he may be the
more forcibly impressed with the necessity
for exercising the utmost care. But in or
der to investigate complaints We should
have data to act on"