The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-08-28
CONFUSION CAUSED
IN MAIL SERVICE
New Sunday Mail Methods
Required Under the New
Post Office Bill.


al Hitchcock whereby the administra-
ton of the new law prohibiting the de-
livery of mail on Sundays will have no
serious effect upon the handling OF i'm
portant mail matter
Holders of lock boxes at first and
second class postoffices will have &C
cess to them as usual, although no mail
deliveries will be made by carriers on
the street or at postoffice windows.
Mail for hotel guests and newspapers
will be delivered to them through their
lock boxes by simple arrangement OF
having that mail sorted on the rail-
way mail cars before it reaches its des-
tination. Such mail will be regarded
as transit matter" and will be dis
tributed Immediately upon it's arrival
at the offices of destination, thus,
practically, insuring a speedier deliv-
cry to the addresses than heretofore
has been the case
The distribution will require a mini
mum of Sunday work and the distribu-
ton of other mail received on Sunday
will be made after midnight of Sunday
so that it may be delivered by the car
riers on their first tour on Monday.
Explains Now System.
After all-day conferences with the
experts of his department. Postmaster
General Hitchcock tonight issued a
statement explanatory of his admins
tration of the new law. His assurance
is that there will be no embarrass-
ment to the business public and that,
through the arrangements he outlines,
urgent mail matter will reach it's desti-
nation promptly. Orders necessary to
carry Mr.. Hitchcock's plans into eff
feet will be issued Immediately. The
postmaster generals statement fol-
lows:
There seems to be some misappre-
hension as regards the provision in the
postal bill relating to the delivery of
mail on Sundays. This provision does
not require the closing of postoffices
on Sundays which would be quite i'm
possible, owing to the fact that the
transit mail has to be sorted, and also
the mail collected in cities for dis
patch 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
Available to Box Holders.
"At present. most of the mail re-
rier Monday morning is worked after
midnight on Sunday and. therefore,
the law will not affect this mail Il
will be delivered as promptly as hither
to. Mail received up to midnight on
Saturday for lock boxes will be dis
tributed to the boxes and will be avail
able to box holders on Sunday, as u.s.
ual.
There is at present no street deliv.
cry of mail by letter carriers on Sun,
day and therefore the law makes NO
change in this regard. In short the
only mail that will be affected under
a reasonable construction of the new
law is that received at the postoffices
on Sunday and hitherto sorted on that
day for distribution to lock boxes.
LAS the purpose of the law, which
employees, is to reduce as far as prac
ticable the amount of 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 addresses. The
mail will include that for newspapers
and hotel guests. The latter is pecu
| 10 - fron r, oh aro ut al N
should not be delayed.
| Sorted On Mail Cars.
This mail, like the special delivery
mail, will be sorted out at the Offices
of dispatch and on the railway mai
trains in order to simplify the work o.
distributing it in the postoffices or
Sunday.
LAS practically all business houses
are now closed on Sunday, they do mo-
force for a year, of holding their mai
until Monday morning, realizing the
benefit thus conferred on postal EN-
ployes, who are thereby relieved from
Sunday labor.
I'm order to give the new provision
as liberal construction as possible
postmasters will be instructed on ap
plication to have their employees sor
| out in emergency cases on Sunday let
tiers of special importance This will
supplement the present privilege o
having all mail delivered on Sunda,
that carries a special delivery stamp.
by the proposed changes in tn,
method of putting up mail in the of
fees of origin and in its handling OF
the railway mail trains it is believed
that a satisfactory distribution can b,
made in postofices on Sundays will
far less work than is now required
Thus the law can be made to confe
great benefits on postal employs
without inconvenience to the public.
No intent to Restrict.
Minority Leader Mann of the House
author of the provision prohibiting tn.
delivery to the general public of mai
on Sunday, discussed the subject to
day with postal officials. He said Their
was no intent upon the part of Con
gress so to restrict the activities o
the Postoflce Department as to incon
venience seriously the business pub
lie.
ut is absurd" he declared, "for any
body to assume that Congress mean
to close postofices as tight as wedg'