Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-30
entirely for post offices should be con.
trolled by the Post Office Department
The New Washington Office.

A site adjoining the Union station has
been purchased for the new Washington
post Office at a cost of S45O,OO0 and plan
for the building provided. The Postmas-
ter General adds: 1T is important that an
additional appropriation be made as soon
as possible for the erection of a building
in order that the postal service may gain
the benefit of the new location at an
early date
The Postmaster General again calls at
tention to the wisdom of providing furni-
ture and other equipments at government
expense for the smaller post offices, not
merely to relieve the postmasters, who
are not properly compensated. but to in
crease the efficiency and dignity of the
service at those Offices.
Stress Is laid upon the success of the
experiment tried in New York of having
which has come to be the second heaviest
of the day. The plan is to be extended
to other cities when it can be econom-
ically done.
Although under the new salary law
under which clerks and carriers are pro-
NOTED annually for faithful and efficient
| service. 1885 clerks and 1872 carriers
we're advanced in salary July /. 1907;
1.459 clerks and 1,19O carriers. October
1, 1907: 1,436 clerks and 1872 carriers
January. ]. and 1.16O clerks and 1,179 car
riers April 1, 1908. making. in ALL 1850
clerks and 3.503 carriers. the Postmaster
General urges that some further pro-
vision should be made for supervisory
employees who in many instances now re-
ceive no more than the employees under
them. He states: This condition should
be remedied: however. the department has
not estimated for additional promotions
for such employees for the next fiscal
year owing to She great increase in the
deficit"
Auto Collections Successful.
The Postmaster General also refers to
the experiments made in using automo-
biles for the collection of the mails and
states that under this plan employees can
do twice as much work as with the
horse -dra wn vehicles. He says: The de-
partment will be in a position later to
report to Congress upon the ACCESSIBILITY
of using automobiles in all the large
cities"
The criticism of the postal commission
that there is lack of labor-saving de-
vices in use in the postal service is ad-
mitted to be just. but explained by the
fact that it is due to the want of suffi-
cient appropriations. The use of auto
matte conveyors in the New York and
Washington post offices, with descrip-
ton of the devices, already given in The
Star is discussed.s
The Postmaster General treats with con-
siderable length the subject of the trans
otherwise He says that on June 30 last
there were 1898 railroad routes in opera
ton with a length Of 213.220.47 miles. and
an annual travel of 4O7. 799. 039 A miles, at
a cost Of $44. 722 .9s5.47. or $2o9.7 per mile.
while the average cost of travel was but
1898 cents Compared with the previous
year, there was an increase in the mum,
Der of routes. their length and in annual
travel and a decrease in expenditure. In
consistencies in the provisions of the
law of March 2. 1907. affecting Immigrant
railroads, are commented on. The annual
expenditure for railway post Office cars
is given as "a. 6S1. or 20 80 per cent less
than the previous year. The amount of
travel in the electric and cable car serv-
ice Is given as 1l.716.416.26 miles. The
annual expenditure. exclusive of the
Chicago underground service. which
amounted to S172.6OO, was S64l. 1852. The
300 routes in the screen-Wagon service
show an annual stravel of 49,, 1873 Os
miles; the expenditure for it was $1,33l-
1880 The mail messenger service rep
resents an annual travel Of 11.s7s. O31. 90
and an annual expenditure of 81 .459. 694. IS
The subject of the special weighing of
the mails 10 treated and reference is made