New-York tribune., 1911-11-19
They Are Knocked Down
by Trucks, One by One,
and Replacing Them Is
Harder than Ii Seems.

What is so rare as day in june
Answer: a street letter box on Manhat-
tan Island" At least, so Postmaster Nor
gan begins TO believe, from the avalanche
of complaints reaching him. Mr. Morgan
and his officials admit there is some basis
for such complaints. and say that for
year or more street letter boxes must de-
crease in number, not from any fault of
their own, but because OF the strict en-
forcement Of a law Of the state Of New
| York so far as it affects the city. The post
Office official I'm charge of letter boxes an
swered at length for Mr.. Morgan the di-
verse forms Of complaint concerning the
disappearance Of our good, old-fashioned
but substantial letter boxes lie said
/ I'VE have thousands of letter boxes
| available, but no places on streets to hang
! them. While the number of chute letter
! boxes in various types of buildings has
! steadily increase the number Of street
! boxes has as steadily decreased. The rca-
/ son for the decrease must be obtained from
! the Commissioner of Water supply, Gas
! and Electricity. He is the one we have to
/ apply TO for a permit TO attach a letter box
| to a street post, and he is the man who
/ refuses TO permit us TO do so. The public
! should learn to drop their letters in the
chute box of the building nearest to them.
! All mail boxes are absolutely free to the
public"
| II was pointed out that owners and ten
ants Of buildings objected to the outside
public using their letter chutes, and in
many instances people had actually been
! ordered out and even put out Of such
places. More than one had written letters
Of complaint. giving specific instances. The
! reason alleged for such ejectment is that
/ the passageways are for tenants and peO-
| pie doing business with or calling on them,
and that in large Office buildings where
there are a thousand or more tenants the
boxes are neither large enough nor numer-
Gus enough 10 hold the mail of the tenants,
who have to send their accumulatOns 10
| the main pOstOfliCe or nearest substation.
My answer" said the postotiice official,
! lis the same, namely, that a letter boA.
wherever placed is legally free to all. How
ever the new conditions Of congcstcd build
ings and intrusons in buildings generally
are things 10 which the public will have to
adapt itself. The boxes ] say. are free.
| but the public must find its own way TO
! them
1t was pointed out that there were 10
letter boxes in the Sixth avenue shopping
( district between 10th street and I'd street,
not even chute boxes in the buildings with
, the exception Of one or two having small
sub-stations, nor in Fifth avenue north Of
23d street
THE Fifth avenue matter is now under
consideration" was the reply. In Sixth
avenue the boxes and attached posts We're
one after another Knocked down by trucks.
as they have been everywhere in the ci,y.
The city is putting up no more gas posts
TO attach letter boxes to, and obviously
! they would be knocked down If attached To
the elevated structure"
Considering that the government has been
! notified that the design for new letter boxes
has been approved by the Municipal Art
Commission, the postohice official was
asked why such boxes could not be imme-
diately placed In position.
I'VE made an allowance Of SIS a box for
Fifth avenue oht Of the last fiscal aPpro-
priation," he replied. "The appropriation,
under the law expired June 30. and the
noXpendcd allowance was turned back into
boX had then been approve cd by the city.
The boxes cannot now bc manufactured
and placed until Congress makes IT, ncNt
appropriation and the Postoficc department
a new allowance thcrefrom. II may take
a year or eighteen months"
How much does rhc New Yorl. City post
Office earn above It's cApensos?' was asked