The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-11-20
MARRIED LETTERS
Old Cancelling Machine
Used Of Late in the Post
Office Causes Com
plants.
STAMP MARKS CONTENTS
Mr.. Woolley Says It Will Not
Be Used for Christmas
Cards.

ter complaints registered against the new
devices used in the Post Office for cam
ceiling incoming and outgoing letters. Ine
kicks were made because the contents OF
some letters were mutilated. This Is con-
sidered nothing more nor less than an
outrage on long suffering public ana
those who have been the victims or the
cancelling machines are loud In their pro-
testations against their use.
snecimen Of the manner in which the
contents of letters are marked by the lm-
pression Of the cancelling machines has
been received at 1.-THE News office Inc
lines Of the stamp penetrated through the
envelope and the contents, though not
mutiIated. were heavily marked. what
the result will be when the Christmas
cards are handled by the Post ONCE au-
thorities and cancelled by these electrlc
ma achines remains to be- seen.
One Of the machines in use has been
IN operation for several years, and was,
IN to two months ago, used at the desk,
where all outgoing mail was cancelled.
Perhans this is the reason that complaints
have not been heard in this city previous
to about two months ago. AT tnat ellne
the new and more modern device was put
in for cancelling stamps. This new MAJ
chine is now used for all outgoing matter
and the old one has been transferred 70
the city department, where all incoming
letters are stamped. While the new ma
chine is an improvement on the old device
it has its faults. and serious ones, too.
The machine is so constructed that let
tiers of uniform size only can pass through
it, But not infrequently do letters Irlne
more bulky than the usual run pass
through the machine. When letters OF
larger dimensions come in contact with
the cancelling stamp they suffer Ere
quently these are jammed out or shape
and mutilated in an atrocious manner.
The work of re-adGressing the letter then
falls to the lot of the employe In charge.
But this machine is tolerably good when
compared with the antiquated affair used
in the city department. This machine has
been condemned by Assistant Postmaster
Woolley as being unfit for use, and to
use his own words, 1T is ringer. pure
and simple.
So frequently has It mutilated letters
that Mr. Woolley has been forced to
discontinue using It at times, when there
was no rush of matter. Mr.. Woolley
was interviewed on the use Of these ma
chimes by a reporter Of THE News.
.As far as know, = said he, there have
been few complaints registered in this
affair against these machines. The new
machine used on outgoing mail seems to
he far better than the old device. but
then letters are occasionally mutilated.
we have been endeavoring to get another
machine similar to the new one, and II
We succeed, the old contrivance will be
done away with.
.sThis old machine is no good. The
speed Of this machine is about S75 revo-
buttons a minute. OF course If a man
could feed 1t as quickly as the stamp re-
wolves it would take practically no time
to dispose of enormous bundles of letters.
but no man can feed 1t more than 225
letters. A man with a hand stamp can
do as well and stand far less chance Of
mutilating the letters.
.tAs many as million pieces of mail
matter on an average come in here each
month, and most of it passes through
these machines to be cancelled. I should
think that the hand stamp would leave
more of an impression on the contents of
letters than the machines. OF course there
has to be enough force behind the stamp
to cancel the latter properly
.sThere are. am told, as many as sixty
Of the old style of machines in use in the
New York district, which embraces New
York and Brooklyn, and they have given
satisfaction ! hear.
"In reference to valuable packages and
Christmas cards, all possible care will be
taken to have them saved from mutila-
tion The men always endeavor to pick
out such packages as have the appearance
of being valuable, and use the hand
stamp on them. Christmas cards and
such will be far too large to go through
the machines so no fear should be enter
tanned for their safety
Mr. woolley added that he was willing
to do all in his power to have the evil
rernedied He thinks the addition of a
second new machine would eliminate all
future trouble.