The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-08-30
EXPLAINS THE DELIVERY
OF THE SUNDAY MAILS
Postmaster General Clears Up Mis-
apprehension Regarding Recent
Order.

washington, Aug. lo.-FosI IildsIei
General Hitchcock tonight issued the
following statement:
There appears 70 be- some misap
prehension as regards the provision
in the postal bill relating to the de-
livery of mail on Sundays. This pro-
vision does not require the closing OF
postofices on Sundays, which would
be quite impossible owing to the fact
that the transit mail has to be sorted
and also the mail collected in cities
for dispatch to other destinations.
To stop the movement of this mail
would mean a serious clogging of the
whole system of mail transportation
and consequent inconvenience to the
public.
"At present most of the mail re-
ceived on Sunday for delivery by car
rier Monday morning is worked after
midnight on Sunday and therefore the
law will not affect this mail. 1t will
be delivered as promptly as hitherto.
Mail received up to midnight on Sat
urday for lock boxes will be distrl-
buted to the boxes and will be avail
able to box holders on Sunday as
usual.
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 be accepted
under a reasonable construction OF
the new law is that received at the
postofices on Sunday and hitherto
sorted on that day for distribution to
lock boxes.
"As 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 boxes will be limited to certain
classes of mail that can not be held
until Monday morning without serious
inconvenience to the addressee. This
mail will include that for newspapers
and hotel guests. The latter is pecu-
liarly transient in character and
should not be delayed This mail like
the special delivery mail, will be sort
ed out at the Offices of dispatch and on
the railway mail trains in order to
simplify the work of distributing it
in the postofices on Sunday.
CAS- practically all business houses
are now closed on Sunday they do
not object to the plan, which has
been in force for a year, of holding
their mail, until Monday morning,
realizing the benefit thus conferred
on postal employees who are thereby
relieved from Sunday labor.
"In order to give the new provis-
ion as liberal a construction as pos
sible postmasters will be instructed
on application to have their employees
sort out in emergency cases on Sun
day letters of special importance.
This will supplement the pres snt priv
ilege of having all mail delivered on
Sunday that carries a special delivery
stamp.
'By the proposed changes in the
method of putting up mail in the Of
fees of origin and in its handling on
the railway mail trains it is believed
that a satisfactory distribution can
be made in postofhces on Sundays with
far less work than is now required
Thus the law can be made to confer
for the benefits on postal employees
without inconvenience to the public.
Minority Leader Mann of the house
author of the provision, discnssel the
subject today with postal officials. He
said there was no intention upon the
part of cangress so to restrict the
activities of the postoffice department
as to inconvenience the public busi-
ness.
'It is absurd" he declared "for any
body to assume that congress meant
to close postomces as tight as a
wedge On Sunday We simply requir-
ed that there should be nc delivery
Of mail to the general pu5lia' on
Sunday in order that letter carriers
and clerks might enjoy reasonable
respite from their labors. 5 .cn work
as is necessary for the distribution
and transmission of the mails natural
L. L