The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-08-30

the First Assistant IOStmaSleT DeneTal Ol
the United States closing all first and
second class postofficcS in the country
on Sunday.
The order is as follows:
POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT
First Assistant Postmaster General.
Washington.
Aug. oath, 1912.
Postmaster.
Sir:
The post office appropriation act for
the fiscal year ending June 3Oth, 1913,
provides:
"That hereafter post offices of the
first and second classes shall not be
open on Sundays for the purpose of de
livering mail to the general public, but
this provision shall not prevent the
prompt delivery of special delivery
mail"
Under this law you will close the
general delivery, carriers window, and
lock boxes and discontinue all deliver
les by carriers on Sunday.
You will note, however, that special
delivery mail is excepted and you will
therefore arrange TO have on duty Suf-
ficient force TO handle this mail matter
promptly.
The Department desires TO reduce
Sunday work 10 the minimum so that as
many of the employees as possible may
enjoy a complete day of rest on Sunday.
You should therefore, require only a
sufficient number of clerks 10 report for
duty on that day in order that transit
mail and mail collected for despatch
may be handled without delay.
II no mail is despatched on Sunday
a very early collection should be made
on Monday morning and the mail for
local delivery distributed before the
carriers leave for their first trip.
Respectfully,
First Asst Postmaster General.
AT first Postmaster Kirby was inclined
TO interpret this order as requiring the
closing of the front doors of the post
office, thus shutting box renters out
from the lobby and preventing them
from unlocking their boxes and taking
any mail that might be in them on Sun
day, but further thought has convinced
him that Me closing order didn't go
quite that far.
Mr.. Kirby states that no mail other
than special delivery matter will be dis,
tribuled or delivered hereafter on Sun
day. Any mail received on that day
will not be distributed until the follow
ing morning.
II has been learned that what seemed
TO be an inno@nt and inOffenSivc
amendment TO the poStoflice appropria-
ton bill only recently passed by Con
greSS and signed by the President was
put in by Minority Leader Mann OF Hi
noiS. Since its real significance has
been discovered il has caused howl 10
go up from the business men OF the land
from the Atlantic 10 the Pacific and
from the Great Lakes 10 the Gulf.
Palatka business men should find
comfort in the knowledge that the or
der was not aimed al them, but hits
other great cities like Sanford and New
York.
II is probable that the daily papers
will be received here by express and
will be delivered through the medium
of carriers.
Law to be Evaded.
A dispatch from Washington on We'd
neSday stated that plans were being per
fected by Postmaster General Hitchcock
whereby the administration of the new
law prohibiting the delivery of mail on
Sundays will have no serious effect
upon the handling of important mail
matter. Holders of lock boxes at first
and second class poStolliCcS will have
access TO them as usual, although no
mail deliveries will be made by carriers
on the street or at poStotiiCe windows.
Mail for hotels and guests and newSpa-
perS will be delivered 10 them through
their lock boxes by simple arrange
ment of having that mail sorted on the
railway mail cars before il reaches its
destination. Such mail will be regarded
as ''tranSit matter" and will be dis
tributed Immediately upon its arrival at
the offices of destination, thus practical
ly insuring a specdier delivery TO the adj
dresses than heretofore has been the
case.
This distribution will require mini
mum of Sunday work and the diStribu,
tion of other mail received on Sunday
will be made after midnight OF Sunday
so that il may be delivered by the car,
riers on their first tour on Monday.
After all day conferences with the
experts of his department Postmaster
General Hitchcock tonight issued a
statement explanatory of his admins
tration OF the law. His assurance is that
there will be no embarrassment to the
business and public that, through the
arrangements he outlines, urgent mail
matter will reach its destination prompt
ly. Orders necessary 10 carry Mr.
TIitchcoCk'S plans into effect will be is
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