Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-11
TO MOVE POST OFFICE
Desired to Have a BuiI(Iin1 Near
New Union Station.
WOULD SAVE MUCH TIME
Accommodations for Supple, and
Mail Bag Repairs.
WILL APPLY TO CONGRESS
Appropriation for the Purpose to Be
Sought by the Postmaster
General.
WILL APPLY TO CONGRESS

An effort will be made by the Postma star
General to have Congress appropriate mon
ey for the purchase of land adjacent to the
new upton station. where may be erected
a commodious building TO accommodate the
Washington city post Office the division Of
supplies of the Post Office Department and
the mail bag repair shop. A recommenda-
ton to this effect has been made by the
first assistant postmaster general. Mr.
Hitchcock, and, it is understood meets
with the hearty approval of Mr. Cortelyou.
Postmaster Merritt of the local Office was
advised concerning the plan, and he, too.
expressed himself as being in favor of It.
Mr. Merritt appointed a committee of three
to investigate the plan, and the report of
this committee was also favorable.
Saving of Time.
When the matter was brought to the at
tention of the first assistant postmaster
genenal today by a representative of The
Star. he admitted that such plan had been
recommended. after months of careful
study 1t is Mr.. Hitchcocks idea that all
post offices should be located as near as
possible to the railroad stations, and If
there is a union station the post office
should either occupy a portion of that
building or d building adjoining. This plan,
he says, viii do away with much of the
wagon service and the delay encountered
thereby. Mail viii come in the railway
mail cars, which will be sidetracl<ed and
run right into the local post office The
distribution, consequently. will be almost
direct from the cars to the people and
there viii be very little delay.
The outgoing mail VIII have the same
advantage. Letters collected by carriers
throughout the city will arrive al the Union
station office at about the same me COM
paratively. as they would at the present
Office at 18th street. and PennsyIvdnia ave-
ST fns
be saved in catching trains. and Mr.. Hitch
cock thinks that the service would be great
ly helped as a result.
Then, too, there are other reasons. 1t
Is probable that Washington some day
will have n pneumatic tube mali service,
and with the post office at the railroad
station the mail could be dispatched to
the various stations almost ediately.
without having 10 wait until IL all could
be hauled to the main office. a mile or more
distant, and then rehandled. The same adj
vantage would appear in the collect on OF
mail, which could be sent to the main office
in the pneumatic tubes and straightway
loaded on the cars.
Handling Supplies.
Mr.. Hitchcock recommends also that the
supply division of the Post Office Depart
ment be located in the proposed building.
His reason for this is that the present tons
of supplies for all the post offices in the
United States are received at the railroad
stations and express warehouses, hauled
across town to the city post Office. there
distributed to the various divisions. ad-
dressed to the various post offices and then
hauled back again to the express ware
houses or railroad stations and reshipped.
Mr.. Hitchcock THINKS that with the supply
division right at the railroad station all
this hauling would be dispens sed with, and
the dispatch of the supplies not only made
simpler but greatly facilitated. Not only
would it be saving of money for hauling,
but the time of many clerks would be saved
and the supplies would reach their desti-
nations from sX to twenty-four hours
earlier.
The scheme to make room IN this pro-
posed new building for the m Ill bag repair
shop is intended TO simplify that branch of
the service. TIE mail bags that need re-
pair would come in at the main pest office.
right off the railroad mail cars. They
could be sent upstairs in an elevator, re-
paired and returned in almost the same
time that ii takes now to send them TO
the shop. This, too, would mean 4 saving
in time and wages for employees. well
as facilitating the work of the vision.
Details Not Worked Gut.
As to the kind of building Mr. Hitch
cock has no preference, just 50 it IS designed
for the purpose intended ana is large
enough to accommodate the city post Office,
the supply division and the repair shop.
The plan is of course. incomplete. None
of the details has been worked out further
than to demonstrate the practicab.1ty Of
the general proposition. The Postmaster
General has not determ ned just how much
he will request Congress. but it will be
ample. The space now occup ed by the
local post office will be devoted to the
Post Office Department. with possibly
room reserved for a branch local post office.
Mr. Hitchcock stated particularly tnat the
new scheme was not the resu OF any de-
sire 10 get the local post office oTt OF It's
present quarters in order 10 Glow more
room for the Post Office Department. but
that the idea represented TIE hest advan'
tage CT the service.