The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-12-06
UNCLE SAM
MAKES MONEY
MOrriStOWn Post Office One Of
Best Of Class in Country.

y
Efforts Of Postmaster Clark Induces
Department to Make Tlany Im-
provements New Box Outfit
Heavy Business in Stamps and
Money Orders Patronize Home
Post Office,
When Postmaster Clark received his
appointment he began careful study Of
the office in detail. having in view bet
terment of the service in Morristown.
He also consulted with post Office ex-
perts FROM various places, at last coming
to the conclusion that the business of
the office warranted Uncle Sam in maxi
ing a number OF improvements. After
considerable correspondence with postal
authorities, inspectors were sent here,
the result of which is that the old lease
on the McAlpin estate was surrendered,
and new one made, which will include
the Improvement suggested by Mr..
Clark and upon which work has com
menced. The changes, which will be
extensive, including complete new box
/ equipment with lockers and closets for
supplies Of every kind; a new floor;
sitting room for. carriers when off duty,
as under postal regulations they are not
allowed in the Office between mail de-
hveries. Under recent ruling of the
post Office department, call boxes are not
| allowed in second class offices, to which
Morristown belongs. The new boxes
will include 216 small, "a medium, and
10 lock drawers, large size the latter to
pulllout. Mr.. Clark is in correspondence
relative to the price to be charged for
the new boxes. Another ruling Of the
department is that persons having boxes
must bring their keys and get their own
mail, as clerks are allowed to deliver
same only in special cases.
A wrong impression seems to prevail
among many residents of Morristown
regarding the ability of the local post
office to supply the public with post
age stamps This leads many when in
want Of large number of stamps or
stamped envelopes to buy them in New
York or Newark. thus cutting off lot
Of business which properly belongs to
the home Office. In several instances
wedding and reception Invitations mum
bering many hundreds have been mailed
in New York, where the stamps were
purchased. Postmaster Clark is able at
all times to furnish whatever number OF
stamps may be called for, as he never
keeps less than half million in the
Iron bank, in addition to what he car
ries in the post Office.
The standing of the Morristown post
Office, like other offices of its class, de-
pends upon the amount of business done
in the sale of stamps, envelopes etc. AS
a general thing local pride has a great
deal to do with keeping the Office up to
the highest possible class To such an
extent is this manifested that in some
small towns the post Office is rated much
higher than in other larger towns in the
vicinity,
1t must be borne in mind that the post
masters are not allowed to solicit busi-
ness and if they are detected in doing
SO will at once be removed. This, OF
course, makes the business of the Office
entirely dependant upon voluntary
efforts of the community.
With business amounting to three
Thousand dollars more, the Morristown
post Office would be first class. This
would insure better service all around
in fact it would be just such services as
all first class offices are obliged to pro-
vide for their patrons more carriers,
more clerks, and improve the services in
general, so as to conform with that Of
first class Office. If the residents of the
town would bear this in mind before the
next fiscal year the Office would be raised
to the class so much desired
The work of the Morristown post office
is naturally very heavy. The postmas-
ter, his assistant, Mr.. Phillips, clerks and
carriers report not later than $50 in the
morning. and they have their hands
full to get their work through within
the time allowed by the government.
In an interview with Postmaster
Clark he gave some interesting details
of the work of his Office The business
averages close to 81, 900 month, with a
profit to the government of nearly 81 200
a month. The sales for the month OF
November were as follows: OF two
cent stamps, 99,973; one cent stamps.
] J52,700; three cent stamps, 282; four
4 cent stamps, 1,O76; five cent stamps,
/, ,794; six cent stamps. 27l; eight cent
stamps, $40; ten cent stamps, 573;
special, 4l7 fifteen cent stamps, SO, and
fourteen cent stamps, so; 13. 351 postal
cards; 1914 95-cent, SO Accent and So 97-
cent postage stamp books, and 50,
stamped envelopes.
On Monday morning of this week 2S
sacks of letters were received; the aver
age is about 100000 letters week re-
ceived and delivered. The second class
matter averages about half ton day.
In the money order department, which,
by the way, does more business than the
public is familiar with, during the last
month there were issued 1856 domestic