Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-29

Report Of Superintendent Vaiue Of His Work
There.
First Office Opened at Cavite Dis
tributfnE and Receiving Mails
Service Now In Good Order.


The Post Office Department has received
the report of F. w. vailie, assistant super
intendent, railway mail service, VINO went
to Manila to take charge of the mall for
the soldiers and sailors of Uncle Sam. Mr..
Vailie left San Francisco June Is. ard ar
rived at Cavite July 10. After referring to
tie delay in getting to work he says
The first Office was opened up at Cavite
on July 30. During this period of waiting
one mail had been made up on board the
steamer for dispatch to the United States
via Hongkong and two mails for dispatch
direct by United States transports.
By a combination Of circumstances 1 was
enabled to land and enter Manila an hour
or more before any of our soldiers entered
the city, and soon thereafter succeeded in
nnding the Manila post office. faers was
courteously received and shown over the
office. AS the hotels were crowued, | slept
in the office that night.
Sunday morning. August IL. secured a
detail of two soldiers and placed them on
guard In the post office, with instructions
not to interfere with the work OF the ;SIar-
ish employees, but to see that nothing was
removed from the office.
With the occupation Of Manila carnc,a sit
uaton that had not been toreseen and cer-
sequently no instructions had been issued
to govern.
The Manila Once.
1t was out of the question to allow the
Spanish officials tc control the handling of
the Ma Mia mails, and it was imperative
that this service should be maintained and
communication with Asia and Europe OPEN
ed up a once to the merchants of Manila.
There was but one thing to be done-as-
sumo charge at once of the Manila Office
fnyr IT,,
with the army and navy u.s. A roster of
the employees of the office had been pre-
pared at my request and was handed to me
on my return from Cavite. This showed
40 employees at total salary of S76,2 tT a
year. 1 posted a notice retaining fifteen of
them In the employ of the United States
These fifteen reported for duty Tuesday
the 18th, but soon quit, and it was learn
ed That they feared to endanger their
standing in the Spanish service by work.
ing in the office
Two additional soldiers We're detailed and
reported for duty in the post office on the
10TH and fifth detail was secured on the
I'th with this force of five soldiers l kept
up the city service and dspa tched mails to
the states and Hongkong Including E,u-
rope.
Exchanging Mails.
Immediately after the cessation of hos
lilities as steamers began to open up COM
munication with the provinces. 1 began ex-
changing mails with those points that were
still i'll possession of Spain, and have kept
it up, under the agreement that United
States stamps shall be recognized on mat
tef emanating here and Spanish stamps on
matter received here from these places
Domestic rates of postage were made ap-
plicable to all points in the Philippines.
To such points IS were In possession OF
the lnSurgent forces no mail has been sent,
for the reason that In such places there
ere no duly authorized officials to properly
protect the mails and insure their delivery.
All matter for places controlled by the
insurgents is held at this office.
Many of the ships entering this port an
Choir in the bay, and ii is necessary to take
off and deliver mail by tugboats. This is
true of all transports. At first it appeared
IS though 1 would have to charter tug
for this purpose. but arrangements We're
made, through the courtesy of the captain
Of the port, to have the mails carried on the
tugs operated by him. This arrangement is
working very satisfactorily and saves the
department very considerable sum that
would otherwise have had to be expended
for this service.
No funds were found by me in the office.
Under Spanish rule stamps were sold by
the government to private individuals at a
discount, and they sold to the people No
stamps were sold or handled in the post Of
fee.
Since the arrival at this station we have
dispatched fifteen mails to the United States
by transports and three mails via Hong
q
San Francisco and Tacoma
In that time we have received from the
United states seven mails by transports
and two mails via Hong Kong. The differ
more transports generally leave San Fran
cisco together, while they have been dis
patched from here sngiy.
we have dispatched foreign mails to
Hong Kong twenty-eight times to Singa-
pore twice and to Saigon once Additional
qispatches nave been made to Australia and
Japan direct. We have received foreign
mails from Hong Kong TWENTY-FIVE times
One European mail was received from Sing
apore via Iloilo. We have dispatched to
the provinces in the Philippines forty-two
nialis' ana nave received from the provinces
fifteen mails.
With the branch station at Cayite (estab
ilshed September Z. with Lieutenant Jen-
nings of South Dakota Volunteers in charge.
to provide mail facilities for the LIST Dvis
ION OF Sth Army Corps. which is stationed
at that point there has been double daily
once on Sunday-exchange of mails. Mails
carried on tug operated by the War De-
ONCE Department.
Good Work Accomplished,
While during the first weeks Of the oc-
cupaton of Manila the work to be done
seemed to be impossible in this climate
and with inadequate facilities. yet we have
managed to accomplish it, and 1 am pleased
to report that if there is In the army or
navy or among the citizens of Manila any
one who has any complaint against the
service at this point. he has very unkindly
refrained from making 1t known to me-
Inc regular employees Of the service sta
TONED here have worked very faithfully.
and worked voluntarily when they were
sick and really unfit for work The three
railway postal clerks, b. F. Richards, A. L.
Worthington and E. G.. Witzier, came here
In obedience to what they thought their
duty, without any increase In pay to meet
unusual expenses, paying their way on the
steamer from San Francisco, l. e., their
board Additional compensation has been
allowed others for service in this climate.
The work that these men have performed
entities them to increased compensate
and l earnestly recommend that this be
granted. to cover the period they are away
from the states.
OF the soldiers detailed here have found
some willing and able to hear their share
of the burden. The others are generally
sick or indisposed and cannot be depended
upon in an emergency. In other words,
they have learned how ito soldier"
For the future, should history repeat it.
self, l would recommend that the depart
ment send out sufficient force of its own
employees to handle the work to be DONE
and depaud 1ato ba