The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-03-29

and that they try hard to cover their
entire routes. With good weather
and good roads the task is not difficult
although it is monotonous. During
bad weather and with bad roads they
lead a strenuous lift. A man may
drive fresh team twenty-five miles
over bad roads one day, but when 1t
comes to repeating the dose with the
same team during perhaps weeks OF
bad roads, it is very hard on man and
beast. If the farmers would but recog-
nze this and make an effort
to keep the routes open, the life OF
the rural carrier would be much
pleasanter and the patrons would re-
ceive the mail much more regularly
AS soon in the morning as any
clerks can be relieved from the work
of storting and back stamping, the
mail is distributed into the lock boxes
and general delivery, and the windows
are thrown open to the public, not to
be closed again until 80 p. m. There
are mails to be distributed during the
day, but as these are lighter the win
dows are not closed for business.
After the distribution of the mail,
comes the morning rush at the deliv.
cry, stamp and money order windows
Registered mail receives especial care
and it is now more than year since
any registered letter or package has
gone astray in any way at this office,
either incoming or outgoing.
The forwarding department is also
an intricate affair. Transients leave
their addresses and this mail must re-
ceive prompt attention so that it may
be carried on the next outgoing mail.
Unbelievable mail is another urgent
matter. Return cards must be scrut-
inized. If it says return in five
days." or "ten days." that injunction
must be needed. There are also many
puzzling addresses. A letter addressed
to J. H. Tanner from an automobile
firm is easily recognizable and is de-
livered to J. T. Tamm, but other adj
dresses are not so easy to make out.
Many people write Des Moines Ode
moines," and, with poor writer this
is easily mistaken for Denison. Such
letters are received nearly every day.
Letters intended for Dennison, Texas,
are often addressed Denison, Iowa,
and it is only by reference to the
street directory of the Texas town
that the letter can be sent upon its
way. Not day passes also but that
Denison people deposit mis-directed,
entirely undirected or postageless
mail. All these matters must be in
quired into and the mail forwarded
with as little delay as possible. In
the money order division from forty
to sixty orders are sold daily and
about One-fourth as many paid. This
business amounts to about $4,000 a
year. Remittances are made almost
daily to Council Bluffs and an account
ing is made Of all transactions every
two weeks. Semi-monthly accounting
must also be made with the postal
division, aside from the quarterly
statements.
The outgoing mail is one of the most
interesting and intricate problems.
The office is provided with the
schemes" for Iowa and adjoining
states, and the problem is how to dis
patch each piece of mail SO that it
will reach it's destination the quick
est. This matter is left almost en-
tireIy to Mr.. E. Kemp, who gives this
Denison Office has the reputation
among the railway mail clerks Of pre-
pairing the best mail of any Office of
its size, or anywhere near its size,
along the entire line of the North
western. The credit for this we free
ly give to Mr.. Kemp. 1t is not only a
| WI NSl.iSlSC " IAN dy mail
but it often insures our people that
their letters will reach their destina-
ton from one to twentyfour hours
quicker than from offices where the
mail is less carefully prepared
Mistakes are made at the Denison
office. The man who, day after day,
could distribute the morning mail
without making q mistake would be
so eVerlastingly slow that he would
have to be fired. AS rule, however
the errors are easily corrected and
without any considerable delay. These
errors only become serious when
someone receives a letter by mis-
take, carelessly opens it and then de
lays in returning it TO the office All
mail should be carefully looked over
before it is opened, if there is any
doubt it should not be solved by open
ing the letter, but by returning it al
once to the postoffice.
A bulletin board has been placed il
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