The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-23
ALLAN ANXIOUS TO
ROVE SERVICE
Still Trying to Get Bulk 81
Northern Mail III Time for
Sis p. nj. Train.
NEW BANK HOURS MAY. HELP
Earlier Closing Expected to Re
licvc Congestion III Dis
patching Room.

Postmaster Allan, who has long
urged banks and business houses to
send their afternoon mail to the posi-
Office at an earlier hour so that it
can be dispatched on the northDol,nd
train leaving here at 5:I5. believes
that at least some of the congestion
Will be relieved after February |.
when tho banks will close an hour
earlier than hcretofore Postma ste,
Allan has put forth every effort to
give the public II gilt-cdged service
lie has watched that struggle In tho
big room every afternoon. when thou.
sands and thousands of letters arc
thrown in III the last moment for
Northern points. And he has figured
that It IL could be received in time
10 leave town at 5:15 instead of $50
p. NJ. the service could lie still more
improved.
Over 100000 Pieces n Day.
More than 100000 pieces Of first
class mail arc handled every day by
the clcrlSs-abcut one letter for every
man, woman and child in Richmond
Sixty Per cont. Of This amount comes
In y lnmp--betwcen 6 and 8 p NJ
Northern. Southern and Western is
mixed up together. All Of it must DO
faced up cnnceicd and distributed 10
the different routes. Almost every
afternoon Tie SIS train for the North.
ID IL Il I ~
goes out light SO far as iirst-class
mail from Rchmond is concerned
This means that those 10000 letters
must be hurricdly worked for the $50
train. all of which is transferred 10 n
regular mail train in Washington. ana
which reaches New York often too latc
ior delivery by carriers on their first
rounds. The thing that worries tho
post office clerks Is the fact that much
OF the local mail sent out by the last
evening train could go just as We'll
at 5:1o, It Office boys and messengers
were willing 70 make (. couplr of
trips to the post office.
Educating Business Pcoplc.
y number Of business people to
"hohl MI Milan has explained the
situation have ordered their clerks 10
have at least Il part OF the mail rcndv
Ior mo first train out. They have
iouhd mat the change was advantage
o"s. ana they are making every Eff
tort to keep that Schedule. But others
are not They do not seem to realize
ne narrow margin, mere and in Nav
nork' though 1t moro often happens
mat the head men are at INC nnrr,,
OF office boys and janitors. who son,c.
times fail TO appreciate the value Of
Ten minutes in the post Office
~ is only on Saturday that the
AFTERNOON train for New York picks
w the bull: of the Richmond mail.
nut there Is nothing to equal that
Monday evening rush in tho dispatch-
ING room, when mail from bags ana
pasKcts Is dumped in after o'clock
ooai passcrs on battlcship never
worried faster than these clerks.
seldom Make Mistakes.
How they get through without hun
dreds OF mistakes is one OF those most
once mysteries. yet mistakes arc sell
uom made. Very often, however. Office
boys and messengers arrive with great
PACKAGES of letters after the wagons
nave whirled away to Byrd street
In that case little matter of Zen
minutes means virtually a DELAY of
twenty four hours in carrier deliveries
in New York.
The records Will probably show
that the Richmond banks send out
more iirst-class mail than any other
business concerns. Naturally, some of
TINS is prepared after banking hours,
nut after February | banks will close
al i. NJ instead Of 8 p M. and POST
hnastcf Allan is waiting TO sec if Il,
VIII expedite delivery to the nost
once. II his mon could get rid az
al this hank mail. northbound. NJ
ID, it would relieve tho terrible con-
Eestion in the post-ofce and guaran-
zee delivery to New York banks at
the opening hour Of business. Tho
same rule applies. OF course, to an
business houses.