The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-05-02
NUMBERING The
FOOTSTEPS OF
P. 0. CARRIERS
And Every Piece of Mail That
Comes Into the LOca!
Office
And Every Time Anyone Touches
it, and How Often the
Clerks Breathe

1t is said that on the books of the
Recording Angel the very feathers OF
every sparrow are numbered. Appar-
emily, Postmaster General Hitchcock
is striving to emulate this record, for
today in every posteffice in the Uni
ted States, every single piece of mail
is being numbered; every time a clerk
puts out his hand to touch a letter a
record of it goes down in the depart
ment' book; and every time a letter
carrier takes a step on his daily route
it is rung up and recorded on an in
strument made for that purpose.
Not only is the quantity of mail
numbered, but the quantity in each
class is counted. The outgoing mail
is assorted into classes and counted
the incoming mail receives the same
treatment, an operation which in a
postoffice the size Of Bridgeport,
means a tremendous task and is keep
ing the local clerks and carriers on
the verge of nervous prostration
\ Postmaster Hitchcock has provided
immense tally sheets, on which the
department must send in its records.
It is practically a complete census OF
the postoffoce, every letter being
counted as citizen. Its age, its en-
ployment and everything else concern
ing 1t, is recorded with the greatest
care.
Mr.. Hitchcock's tally sheets provide
daily columns for the record of. the
city delivery. the facing of letters,
the cancellation. the separation, the
distrib ution, the dispatching, the
number Of times every letter is
handled" in every department, and
legnth of time it takes; and in fact.
every operation connected with the
receiving and handling of the mail,
even to the minutest. Then the whole
must be averaged.
This mathematical orgy will continue
throughout the month of May. At the
end of the month the tally sheets of
all the postoffices will be sent to
Washington and permanent records
will be compiled from them to estab-
lish a scientific basis for computing
the workings of any postoffice.
Then the Postmaster General will
be in a position to place any post
rank for efficiency. II he finds that
some western Office OF the size of
Bridgeport is not doing the work as
well as Bridgeport. 1t means trouble
for that western ONCE. He will have
accurate records and every office in
the country will have to measure UP
to the postmaster generals rnicrosco-
pic mark.
1t is an actual fact that the letter
carriers are having their very foot
steps counted, while on their routes.
A little instrument called "pedo-
meter is provided for this purpose
1t has a pendulum which swings at
every footstep and the total of steps
is translated into miles on the dial of
the instrument.
One of the carriers who is believed
to have an average route, with two
daily deliveries rang up IL miles on
his pedometer yesterday, showing that
he has to walk six miles to cover his
route once, from door to door,
Yesterday the carriers were kept at
work, each asserting his own mail for
classification. This took so long,
however, the practice was discontin-
ued today. Now the mail is being
counted and tabulated by each depart
ment, separately.
And there is another rule in force
in the local department. 'Thou shalt
not talk to reporters is the eleventh
commandment, for the carriers and
clerks.
mo. that's not one OF Mr.. Hitch
cocks special rules said Assistant
Postmaster Lyon, when his attention
was called to this regulation, which is
posted on the walls Of the depart
ment.
."That is an old and strict rule Of
the department, said Mr.. Lyon, "all
information must be given out through
headquarters only. Likewise all COM
plants must come through headquar-
ters. It is simply a recognition of the
head of the department.