The Jersey City news., 1899-12-12

Jersey City needs new postoiHce-
Several efforts have been made to secure
4 building such as the, foremost city OF
the State should have; but for various
reasons they have all fallen through The
city is today making shift with the same
facilities it possessed score OF years
ago and which, il is unnecessary to state,
are entirely Inadequate to the present de-
mands-
It only needs a glance at a few statis-
tics to establish this fact To begin
with the postoffice now in use at Wash
ington and Sussex streets only covers an
area of 5,T16 square feet. Experts VINO
have been consulted on the subject be-
lieve that 10000 square feet are needed,
and that in a few years. ten at most, the
need will be for 11,Q00 square feet, prob
ably more
Taking the last decade as a basis these
facts in relation to the business have been
gathered I'm 1889 the population of Jer-
sey City was 161 900. In 1893 1t is esti-
mated at $1,000 by the most eonserya-
tive while some persons who have looked
into the matter place it at 100000.
The receipts Of the post office in. 1883
were Sis, ,S72; in 1899 they will be $40, SsV,
and may exceed that amount should
there be the usual increase in the noh-
day business. The money orders issued
for the year ending June 80, 1899 were
8. .263 in number, the amounts aggregat-
ing $125, ,161. The orders paid were z'z'z.
The amount disbursed on this account was
s2o2. .966 The number of registered letters
was 81, 1856
The mail matter received from the
various sub-stations and passes through
the main Office For thirty-four Gays
ending Nov. 6 this was as follows
First Class, 2o,072 h.; second class, SSSS
lb. . third and fourth classes, so, 491 ID.
Despatched by railroads, &c.:-First
class. n.76s h.; second class, 7742 lb.;
third and fourth classes. 4S,SSs lb.
This indicates that the local delivery
was:-First class. Alto lb second class
l Oo0 lb.; third and fourth classes, 800 ID.
The average of this matter was sixty
one pieces TO the pound, showing tnat
in thirtv-four days the frst-class matter
alone amounted to 1.224.ss2 pieces. This,
II must be remembered, was exclusive OF
governmental free matter. The Welsnt
was of actual mail matter, the weight
of bags, &C., not being included. me
number of employees in 1893 was s6- NOW
it is 143 .ss..-.-.
The total cost of the present building
and site was s145.o0O The estimate Tor
new site and building. is $4,000 which
amount has been expended for new
postoffice in Columbia, s G., city wltn
only $4,000 population The people Oh
Jersey City consider the allowance 1or
their city extremely modest when tae
difference in the population of the two
cities is placed in comparison.
No site has been considered, hut it Is
conceded that the new postoffice should
be in the business section, preferably on
Montgomery street or lower Newark
avenue. where it viii have the advan-
taga Of greater convenience for the
greatest number of people 1t would
also be in closer proximity to the rall-
roads and ferries. the shipping and re-
eeiyfng points, which must necessary
he considered. time being an important
factor in the transaction of postal pusl-
ness. no matter in what department.
John G. Gopsill, who was Postmaster
from 1879 to 1887, says that 80 per cent
of the matter sent out from the jersey
/ Citv Postoffice goes to the PennsyiVanla
Railroad station or to New York lie re-
cards this as an unanswerable argument
in favor of a site not far from the pres
ent location and on one Of the thorough
fares named above, which would place It
nearer. relatively nearer, to the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad station and the New
York ferries.
But whatever it may be, tie people OF
Jersey city are unanimous in the opinion
that they need new postoffice. They are
also agreed that they need it as soon as it
| possibly can be secured.
They say that Jersey City has a splen-
did new City Hall that cost over mill
ion dollars, and is conceded to be one Of
the finest buildings of its kind in the
State It also has new Library Build
ing now rapidly nearing completion,
which is to cost $500 600, and which would
be an ornament to any city in the coun-
/ trv. And when they look upon these
| buildings and compare them with the old
! fashioned Postoffice building through
| which they send and receive their letters
they are more than ever convinced thai
4 there are a great many inequalities in life
and its equipments.
| It is safe to say that if the demand for
| a new postoffice could be submitted to q
vote of the people at the next genera
election the project would receive the bal
lot of every citizen without regard tc
,-fxy