The Sentinel=record., 1912-08-28
SECRETARY HITCHCOCK SAYS BUSINESS MAIL WILL BE DE-
 LIvERED PROMPTLY.
DISTRIBUTION TO LOCK BOXES
Hotels and Business Houses Will Re- ceive Mail Through Special Plans of the Department and Rail-
 way Mail Service.

Washington, Aug. 27.-Plans were perfected by Postmaster General Hitchcock today whereby the adminis- tration of the new law prohibiting de- livery of mail on Sundays will have no serious effect upon handling issi- portant mail matter.
 Holders of lock boxes at first and second-class postoffices will have ac- cess to them as usual, although no mail deliveries will be made on the street or at postoffice windows. Mail for hotel guests and newspapers will be delivered through their lock boxes by a simple arrangement of having more mail sorted on the railway mall cars before it reaches it's destination.
 Such mail will be distributed iiTfne- diately upon it's arrival at the office |of destination.
 This distribution will require a minimum of Sunday work and the dis tribution of other mall received Sun day will be made after midnight Sun day so it may be delivered by car riers on their first tour Monday.
 After all day conferences with ex- perts of his department Postmaster General Hitchcock tonight issued a statement explanatory to his adininis- tration of the new law His assur- ance is that there will be no embar- rassment to the business ptsi,iir and that, through the arrangements he out lines, urgent mail will reach it's des- tination promptly. Orders necessary to carry Mir. Hitchcocks plan into eff feet will be issued immediately. The postmaster generals statement says in part.
 There appears to 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 postoffices on Sunday, which would be quite impossible, owing to the fact that the transit mail has to be sorted and also the mall collected in cities for dispatch to other destinations. To stop the movement of this mail would mean serious ciogging of the whole system and consequent inconveniences to the public.
 At present most of the mail re- ceiyed Sunday for delivery by carrier Monday morning is worked after mid night on Sunday and therefore the law will not affect this mail. It will be delivered as promptly as hitherto. Mail received up to midnight on Sat urday for lock boxes will be delivered to the boxes and will be available 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 affected under a reasonable construction of the new law is that received at the postoffice 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 mab that cannot be held until Monday morning without serious inconvenience to the addresses This mail will include that for newspapers and hotel guests.
 Tn order to give the new publica- tion as liberal 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 present priv ilege of having all mail delivered on Sunday that carries special deliv- cry stamp.
 By the proposed changes in the method of putting up mail in the of fices of origin and In its handling on the railway trains, 1t Is believed that a satisfactory distribution can be
 made in postoffices on Sundays with
 far less work than is nok required"
 Minority Leader Mann. of the house.
 author of the provision prohibiting
 the delivery to the general public" or mail on Sunday said there was no
 Intent upon the part of congress so
 to restrict the activities of the poat-
 office department as to inconvenience
 the business public.
 "lt is absurd he declared flor
 anybody Co assume that congress
 meant to close postoltices as tight
 as wedge on sunday, We simply
 required that there should he no dc
 livery ot mali 10 the general puhllc
 on sunday. In order that letler car
 flers and nostOfflce clerks mishl ea. loy reasonable Faspte from thef klabors.