The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-18
MONTGOMERY SAYS | MAIL GUT IS GROSS
 DISCRIMINATION Postmaster Says Curtail- ment of l.. & N. Cars De- lays Mail Two Hours NO OTHER CITY so
 BADLY AFFECTED Senator Johnston Declares Hitchcock Has Violated Promise Made to
 Him-Mass Meeting
 Is Expected

That by reason of the substitution of
 short length postal cars on the Louis vile and Nashville and Southern Railway trans Birmingham was being grossly discrminated against. was the way Post
 master Joseph H. Montgomery spoke of the delayed mail delivery conditions now effective in Birmingham.
 The retrenchment order of Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock went into effect yesterday, in line with his effort to cut down the multitude of expenses whcn
 have been slowly eating away the post office department appropriations Yes terday the most. chaotic conditions pre-
 vailed in Birmingham about getting the
 mails delivered.
 The Southern railway mail clerks and
 those on the Louisville and Nashville
 mails for Birmingham while en route to this city. The result has been that the
 mail delivery for Birmingham was ready to be sent right out and delivered as soon as the trains reached Birmingham.
 The recent order. however cuts down
 the working forces. substitutes a short length car for that of standard length,
 and when the mail reaches Birmingham il is dumped into the postoffice unworkei
 and in condition which requires the
 labor of several men.
 The net result yesterday of the sudden ly effected order of Postmaster General
 Hitchcock wa sto delay the delivery of
 the mail from the Louisville and Nash vile railroad two hours. If the train is
 late, the delay will take extended form. The promuigation of this order was
 made about four or five weeks ago. Postmaster Montgomery, realizing the unjustness of the discrimination, appealed to the Chamber of Commerce to prevent
 the order becoming effective to this city. Thereupon Congressman O. W. Under
 wood and Senator Joseph F. Johnston were requested to see the Postmaster
 General and cndeavor to shield Birming
 ham from his economic wrath. They did see MT. Hitchcock, and it was felt here
 with satisfaction that the order would
 not affect this city. Matters stood in that
 condition until yesterday, when the dis covery was made that the order had not
 been rcscinded or modified in any way whatever.
 Postmaster Montgomery criticises the
 discrimination with the utmost freedom. .,ss ast Delay of Two Hours
 '"There was a delay of two hours in
 getting the mail from the Louisville and Nashville trains delivered today" he said yesterday sThe business mall was unde- livered at noon, while it should have been
 cut long before 10 o'clock. Birmingham citizens must rise and endeavor to get this affair shaped up, for if not Birming ham will have very poor postal service from the trains of the two roads affected. The Louisville and Nashville mornii s train handles a great quantity of New York and other mails. To cut down the cars of that train and reduce the deliv- cry system is very hard on this office. The reduction affects also the north bound trains.
 "I was under the impression that Con
 eressman Underwood and Senator John ston had the matter adjusted, but it would seem that their efforts were fu- tile, for the order promulgated is now in effect.
 T have no desire to do anything but render Birmingham the very quickest and mast efficient service, and l cannot re- frain from saying that I think this cut in our service is discrimination against Bir- mngham, as there are no other cities of | this size which have been so affected as far as l am able to ascertain.
 The reduction of service into Birming- ham and the consequent delay in the
 mails has not been fully realized in Br- mingham. When it strikes the mer- chants and business men with it's full effect 1t Is expected mass meeting will
 be called for the purpose of protesting to the postal department against the dis elimination toward Birmingham.
 Johnston Got Promises Senator Joseph F. Johnston made this comment when seen yesterday:
 'I think it is unprecedented and l am very sure that Postmaster General Hitch cock should at least have done me the justice to confer with me before he acted in this manner. I do not now remember
 the exact wording of the message I sent 1 to Birmingham relative to what the Post
 ma ster General promised me in this con-
 nection, but l am certain that he prom ised either a revocation or a modifica- ton of the order; assured me that Bir-
 mngham would not be discriminated | against and that there would be no delay in the delivery of mails here. In other
 words. the new order was not to impair the service for Birmingham in any way