Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-20
MAIL DELIVERY SLOW
Business Men Complain of
; Post Office Conditions.
MUCH NEEDLESS DELAY
Two Possible Explanations of In
efficient System.
INSTANCES OF BAD SERVICE
Special Letter Thirty Hours on Short
Trip-Eforts Not Concentrated
to Avoid Congestion.
MUCH NEEDLESS DELAY
INSTANCES OF BAD SERVICE

Something is wrong with the distribut-
ing division of the Washington post Office.
This fact is established beyond a doubt by
careful investigation. Complaints have
been frequent that letters have been deliv-
cred after unre asOnable delays and have
even sometimes been lost entirely.
From the division itself come stories of
mismanagement, and even when these
tales have been literally discounted as ex
parte statements there still remains some-
thing to be explained.
: Last week the trouble eliminated when
letters and postal cards were in many
cases held in the Office two or three days
before they were delivered. The mute tes-
timony of postmarks recorded the. exact
time when the pieces Of mail were re-
ceived at the office, and this could not be
gainsaid or explained away.
Dan Cupid Is Blamed.
But last week the post Office authorities
had an excuse. and it was brought for
ward on every occasion. For ST Valen-
tines day fell on last Friday. and all de-
lays Of ordinary mail were attributed to
the flood of postal cards that were said
TO be choking the channels of distribu-
ton. 4 reporter from The Star was
taken behind the scenes Of the Office and
shown the pile of cards heaped up on a
table.
One man was busy sorting them. and
there were thousands of cards in the pile
Mixed with the valentine cards were
ordinary postal cards. bearing business
messages. These shared the general fate
and took their turn at delivery with the
picturef cards. That day The Star re-
ceived a card mailed two days before,
from near the city. conveying information
that should. have been received the previ-
Gus day to have been of any value. SINH
lar instances were so numerous as to fall
into the category of the expected.
The valentine cards undoubtedly inter-
fered somewhat with the distribution and
delivery of the mails. but the suggestion
is made that the added delay merely en-
phasized the accustomed dilatOry delivery.
Almost any business man has complaints
to offer of tardy service that affects his
business unfavorably, and near branch
Offices the statement is made that not
even by anixng special delivery stamps
to letters and telephoning to the central
station that such letters are awaiting a
messenger can satisfactory service be OBJ
tanned. Instances are given of such spe-
cial delivery letters being dispatched to
Baltimore. and being more than thirty
hours on the way, totally nullifying the
efforts of the dispatcher to have his letter
expedited by the additional payment of
10 cents, plus the cost and trouble Of tele-
phonng.
Two Explanations.
1t would seem that there are but two
possible explanations of the situation.
First. that the distributing service is in
comperently superintendent
Second. that the force of employees is
united in an effort to discredit the head
of the distributing service and thus effect
his removal.