The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-11-13
How the New System
Is Handled Here.
VOW GROWING IN FAVOR
PJstofiice Expects to Employ Mes
sengers for these Letters
Soon,

Honolulaus are gradually beginning o.,
'Gkc advantage OF the special delivery
system of the postoHice. Untn the house,
are numbered. however the fun benefit
Of the system viii not be felt. as at pres
Ont 1t is an exceedingly difficult matter to
locate people by the oftentimes indefinitely
addressed envelopes and packages.
Honolulu has had a special delivery sys-
'am before but it never amounted tuAlny-
thing H. NJ. whitney, at one time Post
master General here, issued special de-
livery envelopes; they were used for a
year or so and then gradually disappear
ed. There was very little demand for
them at that time and no further at
tempt was made to establish the system.
Now Uncle Sam has charge of postal mat
tiers ana the special delivery stamp of
the United States is ON sale at the post
Offices OF the Territory. TO be sure, there
have been very few of these stamps used
since the 18th of June. but more and more
are being purchased all the time and II
viii, in all probability, not be very long
before the people appreciate the great
convenience of the special delivery sys-
TEN.
Nothing is more perfect than the Unit
authorities are more anxious to accom-
modate the public, to every possible ex-
tent, than the postoftiCc officials of Homo
lulu Thls has been proven in one way.
by the experience of the special delivery
in Honolulu during the last few months
often have letters and packages been
mailed at the Honolulu postofiice, bear
ne the special delivery stamp, where the
.ddresses were exceedingly indefinite. In
many of these cases the officials have
put themselves out to see that the per
sons to whom the letters were directed
received their mail If person is known
Il Is not such IA difficult matter to deliver
me letter even though it be improperly
~ indefinitely addressed But let the per
son be unknown to the officials and it
then becomes an exceedingly difficult or
IN impossible thing to accomplish the de-
livery. At present the absence of num-
pers on the houses in Honolulu adds to
the difficulty: when the houses are num-
'ered, however. things will be very much
slmplihed
A letter was mailed to the Advertiser
Yesterday, bearing special delivery
stamp, as an experiment. in order that
t might be seen Just how long it would
AXE on its journey through the posto!-
ice to the office of the Advertiser. The
etter was dropped in the City box at the
'ostoiiice at exactly 15l O'Clock p m. 1t
,ertiser at 2:O2 u. m,-iust eleven minutes
ifter it had been dropped in tho mail HOY
It the postoffice.
This was quick work when one consid-
Prs the handling which the letter had TO
90 through before it was delivered The
nail chutes are emitted every few min
ties at the postofiice and special delivery
etters are particularly looked for The
etter in question only remained in the
,oX a minute or two before If was taken
herefrom with many others and starred
N its way to the Advertiser office
First of all. though II was sent +o tho
csk of the man who has charge of an
pecial delivery letters The stomns ,vnra
ancellcd. the cancellation indicating the
imc. u. m. Then The letter was rpSord-
d in a book kept for tho purnosn II
tas given a number. the fact Of it's To-
ng a local letter was noted its address
ras copied, the date. hour and minute If
clustering were recorded tho name Of
ne messenger who was TO deliver the
tier was also entered and afterwards.
,hen the letter had been delivered and re-.