Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-06
MAIL DELIVERY IS
SLOW AND CARELESS
No Improvement in Poor Serv-
ice at Post Office.
MANY LETTERS GO WRONG
One Intended for North Carolina
Comes to Star.
PUBLIC LOSES CONFIDENCE
Can No Longer Depend Upon 1nsti-
tuition Important to Conduct of
Business of the City.
MANY LETTERS GO WRONG
PUBLIC LOSES CONFIDENCE


In the first lot OF mail received
by The Star this morning there
were comparatively few pieces
which did not belong to the paper.
The number was exactly six, but,
as the day had just begun, it was
regarded merely as good start.
The mail was addressed as fol-
lows:
! C. A. Denman, 63I F street.
d. Swift & Co., 5o3-5o5 9TH
street
Public Health, Report.
Neil d. Emerson, Atlantic
Coast Line Co., Wilmington, n. e..
Several hundred miles out OF the
way.
]. G. Stewart, House OF Repre-
sentatives P. O.
Elliott S. Morse, 1923 18th
street.
This is an example Of the versa
tility of the Washington post
office, its effort in the matter of
the Wilmington letter being espe-
cially noteworthy.
One of the constant annoyances arising
| from the hardness in delivery which
has apparently become established
custom of the Washington post office
under it's present management is the hold
ing until noon of letters which should
have been delivered the night before or
early in the morning. 1t was formerly
customary to deliver letters reaching
Washington in the afternoon on the even
| ing of the same day. or early the next
morning But it is rarely that such a
thing happens now. Merchants and pro-
| fessional men, who made a point of
reaching their offices early to read and
| answer letters before other business of the
day got into full swing now find that
| their mail, when 1t arrives at all, comes
SO late that they have to drop other af-
| fairs to attend to it,
| If it has been the aim of the post office
authorities to change the program allotted
by Washington business men to their af-
fairs they are succeeding admirably, put
| postmaster contends against all evidence
to the contrary that the service which
he supplies 10 the puDnC Is SOOu
Confidence Is Destroyed.
The post office has direct relations with
every family and almost every individual
in Washington. The post Office is an in
stitution, and through years of excellent
service the people had come to consider
it as a sort of machine, of which the
| operations were almost invariably ac-
| curate. So marked was this confidence
that even the law took cognizance of it
and provided that contract signed and
regarded as an accomplished fact that a
letter. once mailed, was certain to be re-
ceived by the person to whom it was ad-
dressed. Therefore it may perhaps be
understood why the residents of Washing
ton are aroused over the mismanagement
of their mail service.
Confidence established by years of ac-
DESTROYED: : man mails letter for
that it will arrive at its destination with
in a reasonable time. If this business is
important he feels himself compelled
person with whom he wishes to commune
cate. Even the sending of a special de-
livery letter does not set his doubts at
rest for, in many cases, the extra 10 cents
has brought little diminution of delay.
The "only Kicker"
A day or two ago the correspondent of
a western newspaper went to Mr.. Barnes
|
a check for his months salary had been
sent back to the western post Office from
which it came, reaching the correspondent
a month late. In reply to the complaint
Mr.. Barnes, the correspondent says. de-
clared you are the only one who is kick
ing
The correspondent then took his DELAYED
letter to the chief inspector of the post
| office department, who reported to his
| superiors, it is said, that there was alb
solutely no valid excuse why the letter
| should have been delayed day, much
| less a month.
The same correspondent also declares
| that an extra carrier. put on at station X
| tLangdon, d. Co, on recommendation of
| Mr.. Brstow. was removed by Mr.. Barnes
last Christmas, leaving but one carrier to
handle the whole territory. subjecting the
patrons of the office to delays in addition
| to those imposed by the slack distribution
service at the main office.
| The following letter has been received
from Dr. Charles S. White. superintend-
ent of the Central Dispensary and Emer-
gency Hospital, 10Th street and Ohio ave-
| nue. northwest:
Il inclose an envelope which tends to
| prove your contention that there is some
thing radically wrong in the city post
office. You will note that the letter was
| received at station D at $50 pm, March
| 4. but did not reach the main station until
/ 1870 am, March ). 1t certainly should
| have been delivered to the hospital at %
am.
| Such delays have not been infrequent,
but l was under the impression that mine
| was an exceptional case. Since The Star
has agitated this subject / am of the
opinion that similar delays are common"
Letters similarly delayed have been re-
ceived ultimately by 8. c. Neale 1905 F
street; Edwin II. Duff, at the same ad-
dress, and j. Il. Tennesson, Star building
!
Hotel Arrivals.