Norwich bulletin., 1912-08-28
Important Mail
 To Be Available
POSTMASTER GENERAL PLANS
 SUNDAY SERVICE.
IN EMERGENCY CASES
Letters May Be Sorted Out on Sun days-Arransements Made to Ac- commodate Newspapers and Hotels.

Washington, Aug. 27.-Plans were perfected by Postmaster General Hitchcock today whereby the admin istration of the new law prohibiting the delivery of mall on Sundays will have no serious effect upon the hand ling of important mail matter Newspapers and Hotels to Be Accom-
 nodated.
 Holders of lock boxes at first and second class postoffices will. have ac- cess to them as usual, although no mall deliveries will be made by car riers on the street or at pOstoffice windows. Mail for hotel guests and newspapers will be delivered to them through their lock boxes by a simple arrangement of having that mail sort ed on the railway mail cars before it reaches it's destination. Such mail will be regarded as transit matter" and will be distributed immediately upon its arrival at the offices of destina- tion, thus practically insuring a more speedy delivery to the addresses than heretofore has been the case.
 Distribution After Midnight.
 This distribution will require mini mum of Sunday work and the distri- button of other mail received on Sun day will be made after midnight of Sunday so that it may be delivered by the carriers on their first tour on Mon day.
 After all- day conferences with the experts of his department, Postmaster General Hitchcock today issued the following statement explanatory of his administration of the new law:
 Postmaster Generals Statement.
 There appears to be some appre- sensiOn as regards the provision in the postal bill relating to the delivery of mall on Sundays. This provision does not require the closing of post offices on Sundays, which would be quite impossiblee owing to the fact that the transit mail has to be sorted and also the mail collected in cities Tor despatch to other destinations. To stop the movement of this mail would mean serious clogging of the whole aension as regards the provision in inconvenience to the people. At pres 5ht most of the mail received on Sun day for delivery by carrier Monday morning is worked after midnight on sunday and therefore the law will not affect this mail, It will be delivered as promptly as hitherto. Mail received lp to midnight on Saturday for lock ooxes will be distributed to the boxes and will be available to box holders on Sunday as usual,
 No General Distribution to Lock Boxas
 There is at present no street deliv- ery of mail by letter carriers on Sun lay and therefore the law makes no 1hange in this regard. In short. the )nIy mail that will be affected under reasonable construction of the new tt" ls that received at the postoffices ,h sunday and hitherto sorted on that lay Tor distribution to lock boxes.
 As the purpose of the law. which vas clearly enacted in the interest of Is to reduce as far as nos nole the amount-of Sunday labor, the work of distributing Sunday mail to ock boxes will be limited to certain 'lasses Of mall that cannot be held null Monday morning without serious to the addresses. This nall Will include that for the news 'dperS and hotel guests. The latter | 5 peculiarly transient in character and | mould not be delayed. This mail like ne special delivery mail will be sort 1 d out at the offices of despatch and 1 n the railway trains in order to sim l 'llfy the work of distributing it in the | Dostoft1ces on Sunday.
 Treatment of Emergency Cases.
 As practically all business houses re now closed on Sunday they do moi | oJect to the plan of holding their mail | intil Monday morning.
 In order to give the new provision | s HoeraI construction as possible ! 'ostmasters will be instructed on an i 'ncauon to have their employees sort ut in emergency cases on Sunday | etters of special importance.
 Little Inconvenience to Public.
 By the proposed changes in inc nethod of putting up mail in the of | ges or origin and in it's handling on i ne railway train. 1t is believed that i
 satisfactory distribution can be made | postotdces on Sundays with far less york than is now required. Thus the 3W can be made to confer great han- nus on postal employees without jncon- enlence to the public"
 Minority Leader Mann of the houss uIhor or the provision prohibiting the eliyery to the general public of mail sunday, said today that there was Q intent upon the part of congress to 0 restrict the activities of the postnf- ce department as to inconvenience se- lously the business public.