The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-16

BUILDINGS TO
BETTER SERVICE

Postmaster Haggarty of Hart
ford Outlines Plan For Uni.
form Postal Service
Fourth Assistant DeGraw Ad-
vises POstmasters to Cut Out
COngressman's influence
A new era in the history Of the
Connecticut Postmasters' Association
was commenced at it's meeting yester-
day, Lehmann's shorehouse. It SEEM
ed to be the consensus of opinion that
at the meetings in future there should
be reading Of papers on subjects tend
ing to better the service. Postmaster
Frank Haggerty of Hartford suggest
ed that more be done at the meetings
of the association to improve the post
office service. He made an eloquent
speech following Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General DeGraw who
spoke for Postmaster General Hitch
cock and the head Of the department.
y
1.-THE time has about passed when pol
itics will play any part in the appoint
ment of carriers or clerks in United
States postoffices. I don't believe
there Is postmaster in Connecticut
who would increase his force unless it
was an absolute necessity for eff cient
service. 7 believe the department
should give efficient service first and
then If it was within the income of
the office well and good. I am very
glad that I came to this meeting. I
was at the point Of deciding to re-
main at home, but when I heard that
General DeGraw was coming here
made up mind to be present. I be-
lieve it is the first time that the meet
ings of the association have been at
tended by departmental head, and
think that it is good thing to re-elect
President mckinley, for he will prob
ably let the good work go on and we
will be able to have not only the
Postmaster General with us next time,
but the four assistant postmaster gen.
erals as well.
LAS a postmaster I have no quarrel
with the rural free delivery service. I
hope that whenever there is need for a
route that it will be added no matter
how it affects the business of my Of
flee or any other office.
whenever it is possible to place
the rural districts of this country in
a position to be in as close touch pos
talwise with the world at large as the
people living in the heart of a metro
polls say, give it to them. I hope
this splendid work will go on because
of it's educational advantages.
"I have hopes for the STANDARDIZED
ton of our postoffice buildings and
furniture I don't think it is a good
thing for the post office to go to min
or office in the Treasury department
when it wants an article of furniture.
I don't believe there are two offices
in the State of Connecticut where the
same kind of furniture is provided.
When we build building for a post
office it is built by the Treasury de-
partment. 1 don't think that to have
Offices laid out without rule Of what
they are going to be used for tends
to aid the department. Offices in one
city are larger or smaller than offices
of the same class in another city. If
the post office buildings could be laid
out so that offices of one class would
have buildings of the same size and
arrangement it would be possible for
the department to understand just how
many men would be necessary to run
an office of that class. It would tend
to enable the department to get down
to system. In some offices the regis
try department and money order de-
partments are together. In others they
are in different parts of the buildings.
I don't believe there are any two Of
fees alike in the United States. A
standard zed building would make a
good business administration possible
throughout the service. The depart
ment should have a board Of expert
enced men who would make a study
of conditions in buildings and who
should be consulted as to the needs Of
the department. Standardization of Of
fees would give washington a better
line on the work.
cit would be a gauge for the offic-
ers of the department to go by. Not
until we have standardizing Of the
post offices will we have the post Of
fee where it belongs
Postmaster Haggarty was warmly
applauded when he had finished.
Among other things said by General
DeGraw, the gist of whose speech was
printed in last nights Farmer was.
"Now we are always glad to see your
Congressman but there are many post
masters who are of the opinion that
anytime they want typewriter, add
ing machine or some other article in
the way of supplies that they have got
to take the matter up through their
Congressman. He comes down and
tells us that it would be great ia
vor if the request was granted. But
that takes the time of the Congress-
man and it takes our time. The Con-
gressmen are usually very busy men
and have not the time to give to de-
tails. Now a letter addressed to the
4th assistant postmaster general will
spare the Congressman the trouble
and your wants will be served just as
quickly as they would be if the re-
quest was made through your repre-
sentative in Congress.
every branch of the services-the
postmasters. the carriers. the rural
carriers the railway mail clerks. the
post office clerks and others all have
their State organizations. 1t has
been the policy of the department to
encourage these organizations. as it
believed that they tended toward the
betterment of the service. But there
has been constant demand for the
presence of departmental heads to at
tend these conventions There are
only four assistant postmaster gen
erals and there should be more. Il
do not leave my desk until and 8
o'clock in the evening and often it
is later. 1t is often after midnight
before the postmaster general gets
away from his desk. You can imag-