The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-03-27
Shall Carriers Windows Be
Kept Open on Sundays?
PUBLIC OPINION Is ASKED
Postmaster Bisbee Issues Statement OF
Matter and Asks for Candid Ez-
preston from Patrons Of
the Post 0fioA

In view Of recent congressional leris.
lation regarding Sunday service by tho
post office department. Postmaster r.
w. Bisbee of the Barre Office has taken
tbe matter up and he asks patrons Of
the local Office whether they desire TO
have the carriers windows kept open OF
Sunday. In some cities the delivery at
the carriers windows has been done
away with, following the expression Of
sentiment favorable TO such move.
Therefore, Postmaster Bisbee issued The
following statement through The Times,
to-day:
As you are aware there was such
sentiment expressed throughout tha
country in favor of closing post offices
on Sunday by petitions received from
religious organizations and commercial
bodies. by numerous letters and petitions
from the general public and by the com
ments Of the press, that the following
law concerning the matter was enacted
by Congress:
That hereafter for services required
on Sundays OF supervisory officers, clerks
in first and second class post offices.
aud city letter carriers, compensatory
time of during the working DAYS in
amount equal TO that Of the Sunday EN-.
ployment may be allowed under such
regulations as the postmaster general
may prescribe; but this provision shall
not apply TO auxiliary or substitute en-.
proves
Concerning this statute the postmss.
ter general informs the postmaster that
he is very anxious TO give the employees
the benefit OF this legislation immediate
". believing that they are entitled 10
one days rest IN seven and that their
efficiency viii be increased thereby st
present. however, nearly one-h half of the
carriers report every Sunday TO make
deliveries through their windows. and
their average service being about three
hours, although the amount of mail de.
iiYered is very small As practically all
sof the carriers are sehsduled fof forty.
eight hours work during the six re-
naming DAYS of the week it is inlpos.
sible to allow them compensatory time
tor this Sunday work under present con
ditions. Il becomes necessary. there
fore, TO change the practice with refer
ence to delivery of mail On sunday
he requests the cooperation Of The
postmaster concerning the matter. and
that the attitude Of the public on the
subject be taken According 10 the pol
icy outlined BY the postmaster general
il will be necessary for some Sunday
work to be done by both clerks and let
ter carriers The usual collection of mail
from the street letter boxes is to be
made, and that mail is to be dispatched
by the clerks according to present sched
ue The mail that arrives is 10 be sort.
ed by the clerks; and that for the gen
ersl delivery, and boXes in the post Of
fee. is 10 he put up for delivery and 10
be taken BY the box X-holders aud the
special delivery mail TO be delivered by
messenger
AS applied to this Office it is simply
this Is that mail placed in the tills
for the several letter carriers to be rout
ed 10 for deliyery2
TO those at all familiar with, ihe
work il will be understood that the rout-
ing up, Or placing the mail properly in
the carriers eases. where ii can easily
be found, is an important matter, wheTh-
er the mail is delivered at the general
delivery by the clerks. or at the ear
riers' windows.
"The city delivery mail as placed hv
the sorters viii be in seven separate tills
one for each carrier and the paper
and bulky mail. in seven other tills. II
would be impractieable for clerks serv
ing at the general delivery to serersllv
hunt through those usually large piles
OF mail to find out whether il contained
an urgent personal letter for a patron
of the city delivery At present. four
OF the seven carriers are required to
report for Sunday duty and they route
up. and serve. the seven cases at the
carriers windows. The work and the
schedule for reporting Tor duty is AZ
ranged BY the carriers While this work
may not appear considerable it will be
remembered that it il constant
I'm view Of the fact that this mat
ter WAS brought MP by the public; the
legislation that followed, and tho action
taken BY the postmaster general under
the law. il is hoped patrons win ear
didly consider the matter and freely ex
press their conclusions 70 the under
signed. whose aim il simply TO discharge
his official duty IN the premises. 4
Edward W. Bisbee, postmaster.