The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-13
by SPECIAL
DELIVERY
How the New System
Is Handled Here.
NOW GROWING IN FAVOR
postoffice Expects to Employ Mes
sengers for These Letters
Soon.

hoholulans are gradually beginning 20
'hke advantage OF the special delivery
system OF the postoffice. Until the houses
are numbered. however, the full benefit
OF the system will not be felt. as at pres
ent 1t is an exceedingly difficult matter &c
locate people by the oftentimes Indefinitely
addressed envelopes and packages.
honolulu has had a special delivery sys-
tenn before but II never amounted to any
thing. II. NJ. Whitney. at one time Post
master General here issued special de-
iiVery envelopes; they were used for a
year or so and then gradually disappear
ed' There was very little demand for
.hem at that time and no further at
Tempt was made to establish the system.
now Uncle Sam has charge of postal mat
ters and the special delivery stamp of
the united states is on sale at the post
ofnees OF the Territory. To be sure. there
nave oeen very few OF these stamps used
since the 18th of June but more and more
are being purchased all the time and It
WI, In all probability. not be very long
1peIore the people appreciate the great
tenn.
Nothing Is more perfect than the Unit
eu states postofice system and no postal
MEDIATE the public. to every possible ex-
tent than the postofTice officials of Homo
Iulu. This has been proven, in one way.
10y the experience of the special delivery
In Honolulu during the last few months
often have letters and packages been
mailed at the Honolulu postofice. bear
ng the special delivery stamp. where the
| lddresses were exceedingly Indefinite In
many or these cases she officials have
put themselves out to see that the per.
lsons to whom the letters were directed
received their mail. If a person Is known
u Is not such a difficult matter to deliver
the letter. even though IL be improperlN
lor indefinitely addressed But let the per.
son be unknown to the officials and II
then becomes an exceedingly difficult oil
an impossible thing to accomplish the de-
livery. At present the absence of mum
bers on the houses In Honolulu adds tC
the difficulty; when the houses are mum
bered, however, things will he very mucf
simplifed.
n A letter was mailed to the ADVERTISED
yesterday, bearing a special delivery
stamp, as an experiment in order tina
IL might be seen just how long il would
take on Its journey through the postos
fce to the office OF the Advertiser Tn,
letter was dropped I'm the City box at tn,
postoffice at exactly ISL o'clock p. m. !
was receipted for In the Office of the Ad
vertiser at 2:02 p. Must eleven minute
after u had been dropped In the mail DO,
at the postoffice.
This was quick work when one consid
ers the handling which the letter had q
go through before II was delivered. TIN
mall chutes are emptied every few min
utes AZ the postoffice and special deliver!
letters are particularly looked for. Tn
letter In question only remained in tn,
hon a minute or two before II was takei
therefrom with many others and startet
on it's way to the Advertiser office.
First OF all. though, II was sent to III
desk Of the man who has charge OF al
special delivery letters. The stamps wer
cancelled. the cancellation indicating tn
time. p. m. Then the letter was record
cd In a book kept for the purpose. !
, was given a number, the fact of its he
ing a local letter was noted, its address
, was. copied. the date. hour and minute .
registering were recorded. the name o
/ the messenger who was to deliver Tn
letter was also entered and afterwards
when the letter had been delivered and re
ceipted for. the time Of delivery was r.
corded as well as the name of the perso
signing for its receipt All this, Of course
Occupied but n moment but then Il mean
considerable work when there are man
special delivery letters.
, The postal laws allow no salary to b
paid for messengers TO deliver these sps
Cial delivery letters Those deliverin
{ value Of the special stamp which the .e'
: ter or package bears. So that the me-
Y senger would receive eight cents for IN
Z delivery OF each letter. At present. whe
, there In n special to be delivered, some on
r In the office IL sent out with II. When III
Z number OF letters increase to any exter
: however. messengers will have to De keI
n on hand 10 carry them. They will receiv
o 8 cents on the letter. but according TO IN
: postal laws cannot receive more than $
n per month.
n Assistant Postmaster Kenake veT
kindly furnished an Advertiser report'
a with the above information. Mr.. Kenas
. stated that very few special delivery le
= ters were going through the postoffice
present, hut that when the houses wei
: numbered and Honolulu had gotten Use
- TO the great convenience OF the syste
there would probably be enough speoi
letters passing through the office TO ke.
b. several boys busy the greater part or u
daV