Bisbee daily review., 1903-03-15
DOUGLAS POST
 OFFICE NEEDS
MANY COMPLAINTS ARE REGIS.
 TERED AGAINST SERVICE
Prominent People Ask for Better Fa. cilities for Handling Heavy Mails
 Great Need of improvement.

Great Need of Improvement Especial to Reyiew.)
 Douglas March 13.-The many ex- pressions of complaint. coming from prominent business men of the city in regard to the ineficiency of the mail service in Douglas, impelled the Re view to look into the matter and to investigate the foundation of these complaints. In every phase of the matter, they seem to be well founded, and we feel ,t our duty to place the facts before the reading public of Doug las in their true light. To begin with, the Douglas postoffice is. and has been since its institution a fourth class of flee. This means that the government employe who acts as postmaster, re- ceiveS a certain reimbursement for his services and that out of his insignifi- cant pittance. he is expected to pay for any and all assitants or office equip ment he may need in the performance of his duties. AS we said before, Doug las is an office of the fourth-c ass. and Douglas has population (according to the lowest conservative estimates) of $500. On the other hand. Naco, our
 border sister, while behind us in re spect to numbers and growth. is ar
 office of the third-class and the post
 master at that point is allowed ay
 assistant in the handling of the mails, said assistant being paid by the Uni ted States government. While we do not wish to convey the impression that we are reviling the Douglas postof1ce or its head. MT. Renwick White, we do want 1t understood that we are ex- pressing the wishes of the entire com munity when we state that the present office is inadequate to handle with dis patch, the large amount of mail matter now passing through its hands, and something should be done. and that at once. to remedy and improve the exist ing conditions. The postofice itself Is as good as could be expected of a fourth-class office. but Douglas has passed the point In her life when she needs something better from the gov ernment than a fourth-class office There Is enough business being done right row to warrant Douglas in hay ing building entirely devoted to the handling of mail. The present office is so congested that papers have to be laid aside on tables for want of rack space in which to p ace them for win dow delivery. AS to lock boxes. the procuring of one Is sure to entail a delay of from week to month and all because the government is slow to investigate our standing with a view to enlarging the postoffice quarters here and advancing us to the rate of a second-class office. Douglas is not a fourth rate in any respect, but top
 notcher of the first water. The people
 of Douglas have waited patiently for recognition in this matter and the time is nov ripe for action. Let the 1 people arise and justly calm their due
 petition the proper authorities and de
 mand recognition in their cry for 8 postoffice and mail train service which l will be adeQua to fill not only our | present but meet the demands of
 our gr a,er future. Let the authori- ties at Washington send representa- tive to our midst and see for himself that our growth is not of the mush- room variety, but a growth, the sta bility of which is unquestioned. Doug las is founded on a rock" and it can not fall though "Croakers" croak, and ''pikers" pike, for the men of brains and business ability who represent the flower of our community have looked vel into the future before making a single step toward the advancement of Douglas. There is every indication to believe that we are situated at the gateway to the richest mineral deposits of our sister republic, which fact speaks well of Douglas as a future rail way center. We will be the residential center of Cochise county, if not the seat of a newer county and in view of all these possibilities. we at least de serve to be seen" in the matter of our wants, our absolute necessities.
 Drop into any insignificant side track 1 burg and you will find fourth-class i office; drop into Douglas, with it's | crowded streets, model buildings and metropolitan business houses and you find the same little four. h-class post office in lieu of a fedora building in keeping with our other structures. Iti is high time that the citizens take up the matter and push it to conclusion at the earliest possible date.
 The opinions of few of our busi- ness men may serve to corroborate our statements in regard to the condition of affairs.
 E. O. Ellis, cashier of the Bank of Douglas, when asked for an expres- sion of opinion as to whether or not he was in favor of a better mail service, 1 showed the writer two letters post marked Fl Paso, Tex. March 10, 1903, | 7:30 D. m. It was then 11:15 a. m. of the 18th and MT. Ellis was leaving the postoffice with his morning mail, two days later than the train from El Paso