The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-05-30

supplies only one forlorn Star route.
This one accommodates Bonner, Sun
set, Potomac and Clearwater on the
Blackfoot
Mail for Fort Missoula is also dis
trlbuted from the Missoua office
They make the trip twice a day for
their supply.
One hundred and fifty special de-
livery letters are mailed at the Of
! ice per month and more than two
hundred are received. These require
Immediate delivery by special messen-
ger, but the office has experienced
much difficulty in obtaining prompt
response to calls for messenger service. 4
Eight cents is allowed for each let
ter delivered; yet it means good
'sLpllop MoJ uLea On t9ApIl 10 Ipep
Nor can parents afford to deprive
their boys of proper schooling for the
sake of earning such pa!try sums as
the messenger service commands
Herein through the better sense of
the parents and the school manage
ment, lies the chief difficulty in Sc
curing the best results in the special
delivery service.
The Office Forces.
Twelve clerks constitute the work.
ing force Of the office. While the
postmaster is not counted among the
IL, stu he is the busiest one in the
office. Besides attending to his Off
c1al duties, and looking after the de-
tails of the office, he fills clerks
place at the money order window. /
Certain duties devolve upon each
clerk. The proper disposition of 5000
letters and 1900 pounds Of other mail
matter every "a hours is greater
task than most people imagine.
The demand for sub-post office in !
South Missoula is constantly increas-
ing. The population OF that portion |
OF the city is sufficiently large to
warrant the request Here are To-
Gated Missoula's principal seats of
learning. Here are people from all |
parts OF the state locating, building
up homes, that their children may
have access to these institutions. Tho
university, the county high school the
Garden City Commercial college, and /
the Chicago Milwaukee & st. Paul
railroad can justly claim their right |
to a more accessible postoffice Be-
sides being of great benefit to the
people of South Missoula, a sub-sta-
ton would supply the routes to the
orchard Homes and Fort Missoula,
thereby shortening the trips. Further,
IT would relieve the main office, and
prevent the carrying of the many
heavy loads across the bridge, thus
aiding to expedite the delivery of
the mail in this section.
January list, 1906. the present quar-
ters were occupied. They were then
overly colnmodious, but the business
of the office has already outgrown its
allotted space.
The term "crowded" is scarcely suf-
Iciently expressive to describe the |
condition of the office at times.
Work at the general delivery Win
DOW has increased to such an extent
that 1T requires almost the constant
attention of two clerks
Before the holidays, the stamp de-
partment was removed to one corner
or the lobby; here it will doubtless
remain until the building is deserted.
Since early in the fall, the mailing
department has occupied the time of
two clerks; wherein, previous to that
time, one clerk did all the work, ex-
cept during the holiday rush. This
year, in time of the rush, they were
literally swamped with packages. Up
In the registry office a thousand re-
ceipts were written in single day.
For several days the sales in STAMPS
exceeded $500.
The office is never entirely desert-
ed. Clerks have their regular shift
Of eight hours, some working all
night.
by the recent establishment of Dis
trict No. l of the forestry department
in Missoula, considerable work has
been added to the postoffice The
daily mail for this new recruit, alone,
fllls two large bags, to say nothing
Of the registered sacks direct from
One floor of the new
FEDERAL building, which will be erected
soon, will be occupied by the local
division of the forestry. The time it
axes the department to prepare a
lew home for tho Mssoula office
nay seem long to wait but Uncle {
sam has promised; he will make
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