The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-09
Post Office Department is to Ask Ev-
cry Home in Country to In
stitute Letter Boxes or Cut
slit in the Door.
LETTER TO KEoKUK
Postmaster Moorhead Points Out
How Service Can be Improved
and Will Send Circular
Letter in Short Time.

throughout the country to appeal to
patrons of city delivery the post
office department at Washington has
will result in private mail receptacles
being provided in every home, so that
the delivery service can be improved
at very small expense to the patrons
In circular letter which has been re-
ceived at the local postoffice e. T.
Bushnell, acting first assistant post
master general, points out that the
material advantages to be gained by
patrons warrants the belief that if
the matter is brought to their atten-
ton in proper way large proportion
of them will willingly erect boxes or
cut slots in their doors for the receipt
of mail.
Postmaster Moorhead has made
quite study of this phase of the city
delivery He says that in many
homes of Keokuk letter carriers are de-
layed from one to two minutes by the
patrons in answering the bell and that
in week these delays sum up to more
than days employment for a single
carrier. Thus if this extra time
could be utilized without additional
expense the service would be greatly
improved He especially urges that
inexpensive mail boxes be placed in
every home, or that slots be provided
in the doors SO that the letter carriers
can deposit their mail without delay
and continue on their route.
Within short time Postmaster
Moorhead will send to every home in
Keokuk a circular letter pointing out
the advantages to be gained and urg-
ing that this be done. The letter is
of interest and the copy of the con-
tents is herein given:
United States Post Office, Keokuk,
Iowa BY direction of the Post Office
Department, the attention of patrons
of this office is invited to the advan-
tages of providing facilities for the re-
ceipt of their mail by erecting con-
veniently accessible boxes or cutting
suitable slots in their doors. Such
action would enable the postmaster
to give prompter and better delivery
service with the means at his disposal
since the carriers can cover much
more territory in less time If not COM
PEELED to wait for an answer to their
ring. Private receptacles for mail are
also a great convenience to the house
holder. obviating the necessity OF re-
spending to the carriers call at incon-
venient moments and permitting the
safe delivery of mail in the absence
of members of the household. They
also prevent the occasional necessity
OF carriers proceeding on his route
without delivering mail because of fail
IRE to answer his ring within reson-
able time, and enable him to make de
liveries to patrons living on or near
the end of the route at an earlier
hour
1t has been shown by actual exper
fence that the benefits derived by
patrons of city delivery from the use
of such receptacles far outweigh the
small expense involved. As this
office is interested your compliance
with the foregoing suggestions vii
be much appreciated.
Respectfully.
s. w MOOREHEAD,
Postmaster
Note-Neither the postmaster no
any of his subordinates is authorize,
to act as agent for boxes
The letter from E. T Bushnell i
as follows:
September, 6, 1910. To Postmasters
The Department desires that privat
mail receptacles shall be provided b
all patrons of the city delivery servic
and to this end has had a circula
printed. (See enclosed copy0 Pos
masters are requested to take meas
ure to place it in the hands of house
holders and business men within tn
present delivery limits of their office