The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-30

good behavior, the object being to have
continuity of policies for the benefit
of the postal service and the people OF
the United States.
Good Roads Needed.
ed out in connection with the develop
ment of the rural free delivery service
1t is suggested that should congress
grant the department authority to util-
lie rural routes still further by the es-
Enlistment of limited parcels post
confined entirely to rural delivery
routes, it would then be possible to earn
additional revenue amounting TO mill
lions of dollars. and at the same time
benefit the farmer by enabling him to
have merchandise delivered when or
dered by telephone or postal card. which
otherwise would not be purchased.
The special parcel post" says the
postmaster general will enable the
farmers to have small parcels delivered
at their gates. to live better. and to OBJ
tain easily the necessaries of life
Permission is requested to establish
experimentally a limited parcel post in
not to exceed four counties in order to
demonstrate the practicability of the
plan.
Postal Savings Banks.
The postmaster general again urges
legislation permitting the establishment
of postal savings banks or depositaries
in connection with postoffices.
Experiments with stamp vending ma
chimes, says the postmaster general, are
still being conducted, with every pros
pect that the defects which developed
in the preliminary tests will be over
come. These machines, it is expected
by the department, will add immeasur
ably TO the public convenience.
The campaign of education in the
school houses in matters pertaining to
the ordinary operation of the postal
service. so as to emphasize the impor-
lance of careful addressing, the plac-
ing of the name and address of the
sender on envelopes, ETC., is recon-
mended to be continued, so as to save
hundreds of thousands of letters and
packages from going to the dead letter
office each year, as is now the case.
Efficiency Of Service.
a marked Improvement in the eff
cheney of the service is noted by the
postmaster general. which he says, is
due to the policy of retaining postmas-
tiers of all grades whose records have
been satisfactory He believes. how
ever, that the appointments of second
and third class postmasters should lie
with the postmaster general, as is now
the practice with fourth class offices.
This. he says, would reserve to the pres
ident the appointment of postmasters
at the more important offices and re-
lieve him of a vast amount of routine
work that is tax upon his time.
Opposed to Present Law.
The postmaster general puts himself
on record as being decidedly opposed to
the law which prohibits the establish
ment of postal stations more than five
miles beyond the corporate limits of
city. although he says no such restric-
ton exists with reference TO the extern
sion of the free delivery service. The
department, he declars, should not be
placed in the position of being able to
deliver mail from door TO door and at
the same time of being forbidden to-
supply the district so served with the
other usual postal conveniences. The
repeal of the law complained of is
urged.
The maintenance of a suitable postal
service in New York City, it is stated,
becomes more difficult each year and re.
quires increased expenditures in order
to reduce so far as possible the heavy
congestion of mail matter there The
postmaster general speaks of what has
been done toward remedying this con-
ditiOn, and says that a night delivery
in the residential section has gone far
in that direction.
Leave of Absence With Pay.
Recommendation is again made that
the leave of absence with pay allowed
by law to employees of the postal serv-
ice be increased from fifteen to thirty
days whenever the postal revenues war
rant it.
While favoring an increase in pay of
the supervisory employees in postoffices.
the postmaster general says he has not
estimated for additional promotions for