Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-24
THE ENORMOUS TASK
Of WEIGHING
The MAIL
GOVERNMENT SPENDS
100000 ON THE JOB
Scale Market Has Been Cor
nered to Supply Demand and
Work Involves Tremendous
Amount of Labor,

Washington, sept. 23.-Uncle sam
wants 10 find out whether he is pav-
ing too much or too little for me
transportation Of mail and where the
ever present deficiency arises. WIN
TINS as a motive. he is now engaged
IN the ~stupendous undertaking of s-
certaining the weight and The average
instance hauled of every pound OF
man ana the reNenue received there
from. h means that every Clans ~
mai must be weighed separately. ne
cessitating an additional handling and
the work must be done SO ass nor ID
delay the dispatch of mail a moment.
The sum Of 100000 has been set
aside TO pay the cost and il win take
mighty close figuring TO keep the eN-
pense within the appropriation.
This task has been thrown upon the
shoulders of James T. McCleary. Sec
n assistant postmaster general He
has now completed his organization
and is getting fairly wei started i'm the
work. The investigation embraces
four propositions:
hirst-To weigh every piece Of mail
in the United States for "a period Of
six months.
Secpnd-To ascertain the amount Of
eNenue received from every class of
mai for a period Of seven days.
Third-To determine the length Of
the average haul Of mail by the rail-
roads.
Fourth-To compute the average
load Of railroad postofficc cars.
on account of the limited appro-
priation, Mr.. McCleary has urged the
postmasters Of the country to devote
all the extra time they can to the
work, and To have their clerks. fl they
ave any. do the same, thus saving as
much as possible the -emplOyment OF
outside help, The postal clerks ON the
railroads will be asked 10 give The
government an extra day or two each
week for thirty days during the intes-
LEGATION concerning the average haul.
All of the substitute clerks will uisf lee
pressed into service.
Corners lie scale Market.
With all this additional help the de
partment will still have io employ
hundreds Of people from the outside.
They will he used chiefly I'm the big
cities. and I'm towns which have third
class postoffices. Mr.. McCleary says
that the small offices Of the country
fourth class offices-Will be able 60
do the work without additional help.
This series of Investigations must
be made without delaying the mat q
moment said he. And IL will take
the hearty co-operation of an the
postmasters and clerks and postal
and much outside help 10 ac-
complish it,
There isn't much the railroads can
do except TO lend the government The
which they own at various
These scales are used Bog the
roads every four years In weighing
mail upon which 10 base contracts for
railway mail pay. When the next pee
riod for mail pay contracts arrives Inc
government Will proceed. as usual, in
cooperation with the roads, 10 make
regular quadrennial weighing.
After the roads had loaned an their
scales to the government for this IN
v~estigatiOn IT was found that there
still a great shortage of scales
The government went into the market
and bought up all the scales, eNeept
the very largest types, that We're of
As a result, there is "a shortage
Of scales in this country today. and
the scale factories are running niehi
and DAY 10 catch up with their orders
by Glasses and Subclas-cs.
Most Of the big offices of the coun-
try we're already equipped with scales
So were tho fourth class offices, which
are usually operated in connection
country stores. But the second
and third class offices were not equip
ped. and to supply them the govern
ment was forced 70 corner the scale
market.
ONLY outgoing mail will be weighed.
That is. an mail will be weighed ai
he office where it originates. None
will be weighed on the trains. except
hat which Is mailed on the trains DE-
-ect. and to determine the average
Dad of mail cars for thirty days. In
mail will not be weighed. THIS
will prevent any duplication.
The Weighing. under the tirst prop
Is now in progress ~ Will pc
completed on December 81, next
p~ostoffice In the United states
: now Weighing everything. The malls
are separated and weighed by classes
md subclasses. and the reports show
he total weight originating i eath
office for first class. second class
subscribers copies. paid at % pounu
rate: second class. sample copies, palN
al the pound rate. second class tree
n county: sccoud class. Transient
M I cent for each four ounces
bird class. fourth class, franked mat
or: penalty matter. thc equipment
.arried in connection with the malls
the empty equipment disphlefe"-
In addition 10 this record kept hN
,ostmasterS every railway postal CLERK
On duty In railway p0stofiice> ls Keen
ny a record Of the number ~ fltNt7
and tho revenue thereon received hA
i'm I'D his car. Thus the department
vim be able. after the investigation
.omplcted. To tell 90 "a enats ncei ih'
mount of each kind of mail carrlei.
vfu then De able tO makc some
20 find which class i re-
sponsihle for the deficiency when ol-
AIRS annually. DO VIII also ilhu ih'
amoun which the people pay
~ government mail which goes no"
indcr frank.
Tu addition 20 the record VI tDt
heights of domestic mail, the weight.
IN foreign mail. both outgolnF ana
incoming are taken at exchange Of
ice. and in exchange railway le9
,ffieeg These mails are cia-iiieH
weighed as follows Letters aho
newspapers 20 other
.~irred matter. second class naLttl
bx puhlishers in % thitti
DO subscribers in canada Iail-
ideals mailed by pahlisherf IN tah-
d, ~suherrfnfrs Dob fhe lhttta
commercia1 business f1l
amnIeS 81 merrhuufise page
,arkares equipment carried " rah
,arfion herewith. emutt euliintN
arried Reports are made -
postmaster and postal clerks f" '"
department. each month
For seven DAYS DURING t1' "r
q record must De- kfi
evanue received from each
uhriass 81 mai master sl