St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-04-26
TO CLOSE ON SUNDAY.
Only a Limited Service at the Posi-
Office. Plan for Special De-
livery Suggested.
Editor of the caiedonian:

Editor of the Ca1edonian:
The Sunday closing movement in
the post Offices, inaugurated in the
big city of Detroit last fall, has now
become widespread and will. soon be
adopted by all the first and second
class Offices of the country. The move
ment has recently been heartily en-
dorsed by the Post Office Department
and I have received instructions to
adopt a Sunday closing plan in the
st. Johnsbury office as soon as practi-
cal. So far as / have discussed the
proposed plan it has met with hearty
approval by the public, who realize
that only under the restricted SER
vice planned can the clerks and car
riers secure one day in seven for rest
which men in all other walks of life
now have.
At present, though the Office is
only open one hour on Sunday to the
general public, it takes half the force
to handle the incoming mail and dis
tribute it to the patrons calling at
the window. Under the proposed ar
rangement the number employed on
Sunday could be reduced to one clerk,
and by our regular system of Sunday
only one Sunday in every five. The
carriers under the present arrange
ment work every other Sunday, but
under the new arrangement there
would be no Sunday work for them
except as one would be detailed every
Sunday afternoon to make the even
ing collection. 1t seems to me that
this would reduce Sunday labor in
the post Office to its lowest terms,
while at the same time the public
would be served both as to receiving
their mail and to having it despatch
ed on the Sunday night mail train.
In brief, the plan that I should like
to adopt on Sunday, May s, to De
carried out on Sundays following,
would be to have no window delivery
all day for patrons that now own
lock boxes. The department has
made two provisions for those who
might feel that there is any discrim-
ination in this service.
1t has authorized me to rent boxes
for use on Sundays only, and it has
also broadened the operation of the
special delivery service. 1t provides
that any one who desires his letters
on Sunday can have the same de-
livered by leaving his name and 10
cents at the post Office the Saturday
previous. ~
The plan thus briefly outlined is
in successful operation in many CT
fees in this country much larger
than ST Johnebury and at the recent |
postmasters' convention in Boston
several New England postmasters re-
ported that each succeeding Sunday |
fewer patrons of the lock boxes call
ed at the Office, indicating, as the de-
partment suggests in letter on this
subject, that the calling for mail on
Sunday is in many cases merely a
habit.
To carry out the plan by detailing
only one clerk to work Sundays
would necessitate restriction in
handling second, third and fourth
class mail and in many offices this
is not touched at all until Monday
morning. / think, however, arrange
ments can be made to sort the daily
papers for those renting boxes and
as these details are worked out the
public will be duly advised.
Such plan, to be successful, must
have the hearty support of the pub
lie for the, pubic are, in a sense, |
stockholders of the plant and the
postmaster is the one they have chos-
en- to manage it. He has no owner
ship in the property and cannot order
it opened or closed as if it were his
store or manufacturing plant. But
I believe that the patrons of the
office are in favor of restricting Sun
day work wherever possible and will
support me in the method of Sun
day closing which has worked so sue
cessfully elsewhere and which seems
to all my Office force the most feasible
plan for St. Johnsbury.
Respectfully,
AT. STONE, P. M.