The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-15
BRINGING LONDON
NEARER BY MAIL
Post Office Department Makes New Arrange
ment for Improved Ocean Service

Washington. Nov 14.-The heaviest
and most important international mails
in the world are those between New
York and London and as the largest
and swiftest steamships in the world
are those plying on the great Atlantic
highway the mail service judged by
any standard of the past is highly eff
cient 1t is peculiar fact, however,
that the mail travelling eastward across
States to Great Britain, makes better
time than that travelling in the oppo-
site direction. This discrepancy is due
not to quicker voyages in one direction
but to the difference between the Brit
ish and American way of handling this
particular branch of public business.
1t is obvious that the efficiency of the
ocean mail service depends on two
things-the speed of the mails in tran
sit and the frequency with which they
are dispatched. The second factor is
fully as important as the first, for it
is evident that three sailings a week of
seven or eight day boats would give a
better service than one sailing of a five
day boat since two-thirds of the mails
would reach their destination more
quickly.
This illustrates just the difference be-
tween John Bull and Uncle Sam when
acting in the capacity of international
postmaster. The English authorities
who are particularly solicitous to pre-
vent any money from their mail serv-
ice going to help American shipping,
have regarded the foreign mail serv-
ice as tool to help exclusively British
companies, while the American postal
officials look upon it as a purely bust
ness enterprise, as any private corpo-
ration would, and send the letters en-
trusted to their care by the quickest
and most direct route. Thus it hap
pens that practically all the British
mail for the United States comes by
the two British lines sailing on We'd
nesdays and Saturdays from Liverpool
This plan is followed even to the ex-
tent of sending mail on nine and ten
day boats when there are others sail
ing on the same dates that make the
voyage in six or seven days.
A letter mailed in London on We'd
nesday is compelled to wait until Sat
urday before it starts on it's journey
over seas and one mailed Saturday is
delayed until Wednesday. 1t is true
that when envelopes are marked via
American packet" letters will be sent
on the American line from Southamp-
ton, but comparatively few people will
take the trouble to study the sailing
schedules and TO provide this special
direction.
If the United States were to follow
the British system It would ship all its
mail by the vessels of the American
line, which provide weekly sailings
from New York to Southampton. So
far from doing this, however, Uncle
Sam invariably sends out his mail by
the best available boats. The result
is that mail is despatched from New
York five times a. week instead of twice
as from England; and if a six-day boat
is sailing on the same day with a nine
day boat the former carries the mall,
which is again in strong contrast 10
the English system.
The United States authorities have
undertaken to facilitate the movement
of ocean mails by the establishment of
sea post offices on certain steamers in
which postal clerks sort the letters and
make them up in convenient packages
as Is done on railway mail cars. The
British post office never has joined In
this effort, although the work of the
sea postofiices frequently means a gain
OF from six to eight hours. sometimes
even more, In the delivery of a letter.
AS further improvement in this di-
rection, the United States officials OF
the postoffices have just arranged with
the American line to change its SAIL
ing day so that hereafter its ships
leave New York on Saturdays instead
Of Wednesday. At the same time the
White Star line, which has it's sail
ings on Wednesdays, will establish sea
postoffices on its ships. AS a result
the Wednesday mails will be handled
as eXpeditiously as formerly while
there will be a decided gain in the
Saturday mails. Heretofore these have