The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-28
MAIL OR NO MAIL
FOR PUBLIC ON
SUNDAY?
Postofhc &c Employees Some
what up in the Air Over
the New Ruling.
WILL AWAIT FINAL
O FROM CAPITOL
Hitchcock Says Las is for the
Benefit of the
Workers.

the local Office is to deliver no Sunday
mail except the special deliveries, but
2 statement given out at Washington
by Postmaster General Hitchcock has
created the impression that the mail
should be distributed to lock boxes.
No further orders have been receiv-
ed at the Grand Forks office, and on
s%equently no 1nal decision will be
made regarding he distribution Of
lock box mail until definite word has
been heard from the department at
washington. h general delivery
day Sunday.
Lock Box Mail.
The only mail hat will be affected
lock-box distribution. According to
Hitchcock's statement. this distribu-
tion will be limited to certain classes
of mail that cannot be held until Mon
day without working an inconvience to
the addresses.
h question worrying local officials
Is whether or not there is any of this
important mail. outside of the hotel
deliveries, h a needs to be handled on
Sunday. The question will be thresh-
ed out after further instructions are
received from the department.
Hitcllcock's Statements.
Postmaster General Hitchcock's
statement, issued late yesterday after
a conference with experts of the de-
partment, is as follows:
There appears to be some misap-
prehension concerning the provision in
the postal bill relating to the delivery
Of mail on Sundays. This provision
does not require the closing of post
offices on Sundays, which would be
quite impossible, owing to the fact
Mat the transit ma has to be sorted
ind also the mail collected in cities for
Aispatch to other destinations. To
mean a serious clogging of the whole
system Of mail transportation and
consequent inconvience to the public.
A present most of the mail receiv-
ed on Sunday for delivery by carrier
Monday morning is worked after mid
night on Sunday and therefore the law
will not affect this mail. 1t will be de-
received. up to midnight on Saturday
for lock boxes will be distributed to
the boxes and will be available to bo-
holders on Sunday as usual.
Law Explained.
There is at present no street de-
livery of mail by letter carriers on
Sunday and therefore the law makes
no change in this regard. In short,
the only mail that will he affected un-
W. q SoliSl W. lIIS
new law is that received at the post
offices on Sunday and hitherto sorted
on that day for distribution to lock
boxes.
las the purpose of the law. which
was clearly enacted in the interest of
employees. is to reduce as far as prac-
ticable the amount of Sunday labor,
the work Of distributing Sunday mail
to lock boes will be limited to certain
classes of mail that annot be held UNI
til Monday without serious inconveni-
ence to the addresses. This mail will
include tina for newspapers and hotel
guests. The latter is peculiarly transit
eat in character and Mould not be de-
layed. This mail. k h special de-
livery mail, will be sorted out at the
Offices Of dispatch and on the railway
mail trains in order to simplify the
work of distributing 1t in the postof-
fees on Sunday. AS practically all
business houses are now closed on
Sunday they do not object to the plan,
holding their mail until Monday
morning, realizing the benefit thus
conferred on postal employees who are
thereby relieved from Sunday labor.
I'm order to give h new provision
as liberal a construction as possible
postmasters will be instructed on ap-
plication to have their employees sort
out in emergency cases on Sunday
letters of special importance. This
will supplement the present privilege
Of having all mail delivered on Sun
day that carries a special delivery
stamp.
Work Reduced.
"By the proposed changes in the
method of putting up mail in the
Offices of origin and in its handling on
the railway mail trains. 1t is believed
that a satisfactory distribution can
be made in p%ostoflces on Sundays with
far less work than is now required.
Thus the law can be made to confer
great benefits on postal employees
without Inconvenience to the public.'
Minority Leader Mann of the house,
author of the provision prohibiting
the delivery to the general public
OF mail on Sunday, discussed the sub
ject today with postal officials. He
said there was no intent upon the part
Of congress SO to restrict the activi-
ties Of the p%ostofice department as to
Inconvenience the business public.
Rest for Employees.
/"1t is absurd" he declared, "for
anybody to assume that congress
meant to close postofices as tight as
a wedge On Sunday. We simply re-
duired that there should be no deliv-
cry Of mail to the general public on
Sunday. in order hat letter carriers
and p%ostoffce clerks might enjoy a
reasonable respite from their labors.
Such work as Is necessary for the
distribution and transmission Of the
mails naturally must be done, other
wise business of the country might be
seriously Inconvenience" Z