The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-16
FEDERAL BUILDING WILL
PROBABLY BE ENLARGED
Matter Taken up by Commercial and Industrial As
ISOLATION Encouraging Letter Received.
improvements Suggested.

der department was once moved up -
universal that IL was put back on the
ground floor. ], therefore, hold strongly
to the opinion that In any contomplete4
changes provision must be made Tor ~
the first requisite. This opinion " baser
on the following reasons: The public
service has outgrown the capacity o. tbe
present building. When 1t was firSt oc-
ehpied four letter carriers were round to
be sufficient for the free delivery services.
.low we have fourteen and no >plAce
for another desk which must be adde1
from time to time. Then one clerk SOLD
stamps and conducted the registry d.
vision. Now the services Of two clerks
are required In the registry division alone.
Then one clerk conducted the money Or
d tss business business Now two are employed -
last year over the year previous weof
$4,000 Then this was q second class Of
flee. now 1t Is nrst class once, and tee
gross receipts have doubled and the vol
ume Of business has more than doubled.
Then drafts were drawn on the pootmAS-
ter at New York for money to cash money
orders. During the last calendar year
this ONCE RENTED to New York of IT.
surplus money order funds $s72,ls1
Every Drawer Rented.
Every lock drawer In the ONCE II rent
ed and fifty additional ones are needo0
for immediate use. but there 10 not . FOOT
Of space that can be used for thls pun
quantity Of mail have private boxes 81
signed to them inside the postomce. u
which their mail Ii deposited, and thay
so%s so IGs and i also s Yo
ton of the postal regulations. These
drawers are eagerly sought for at rent
al Of IS per annuni. The money order DE-
partment has been removed, IN order e
give more room In the main ONCE -
little room In the northeast corner OF
the building. which was originally de-
signed for the use Of the Janftor. It 10 20
small that there .is NO room In y Tor z
desk of the assistant clerk, and his desk
and typewriter are located In the room
occupied by the postmaster and the 49,
sistant postmaster. This room does NOS
admit Of filing cases which are tndispen-
sable to q rapid, accurate and gystematio
transaction of the business OF this de-
partment.
rally modified the postal laws and rsgu-
lations since this building was erected.
The eight-hour law under which the let
ter carriers serve makes Swing room
trains. The regulations do not permit
them to walt inside the pcstomce.
Railway Postal Clerks.
twenty-five railway postal clerks re-
ceive pay and report at this ONCE Tney
have no place to arrange tneir regasser
inspectors have no room to examine Wit
nesses and prepare their cases. The spe-
cial delivery service has been created by
law since this building was erected. But
we have no space for the desk Of the
messengers of this service. They occupy
a portion of the mailing division which
IL very much crowded without them.
MY experience has been that the sue
cessful administration OF the ahiairs OF
this postoffice depends largely upon hay
Ing each division organized separately
and distinctly from all others, that the
clerks of each division shall be cut or
from interference by clerks of any other
division, or by persons In any otner
branch Of the service or by the puoiic-
takes be traced to the person Responsible
for them, and negligence. carelessness
and unfaithfulness eliminated from the
public service. This ideal .cannoI pe az
tanned In a building so overcrowoed -
I'm this communication I have con-
fined myself to the requirements OF the
postoffice. leaving other onicials OF the
building to present the needs OF their re-
spective departments"
Tne recommendations Of the COMMITTEES.
together with that OF the Custodian
Submitted the matter to the Department
at Washington The following letter has
been received by the Board OF Directors
OF the Commercial and Industrial Assoc
citation In regard to the matter:
CONGRESSMAN wiley's Letter.
1T am in receipt Of your favor OF the
18th inst, enclosing formal written re-
mort Of the Committee on Public Policy
of the Commercial and industrial Assoc
citation. charged with the duty of tnves-
tigating the present condition OF the Uni-
ted States government building at Mont
gomery.
II thank you very much for the inter-
est you and the gentlemen of this Com
mittee have taken In the matter. Inn
mediately placed this report before the
Committee on Public Buildings. inviting
the attention of the Chairman thereto.
'I beg to advise that the indications ere
that we will obtain the needed appro-
priation to enlarge this structure sum-
ciently to meet the necessities OF the pub
lie business
II a sufficient appropriation Is made. .
new annex will be built in the rear OF the
present building. The government owns
the ground in the rear running through
10 Washington Street, and the space Is
more than sufficient for another building
the size of the one now standing. 1t Is
proposed to erect an entirely new build
ing as an annex, the two to be connected.
The lower floor will probably be utilized
by the postoffice, while the second and
third floors will be used as a United
States Court room and offices.
The Commercial and Industrial Associ-
alton is very much encouraged. and the
entire city appreciates the efforts of the
Association to secure the much needed
improvement