Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-08-31

to the business public. and that
through the arrangements he outlines.
urgent mail matter will reach its des.
tination promptly. Orders necessary
to carry Mr.. Hitohoock's plans into eff
feet viii be issued Immediately. The
Postmaster Generals statement fol.
lows:
There appears 10 be some misap-
prehension as regards the provision in
the postal bin relating to the delivery
of mail on Sundays. This provision
does not require the closing of post
offices 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 serious clogging of the whole
system OF mall transportation and con.
sequent inconvenience to the public.
"At present most of the mail receiv-
ed on Sunday for delivery by carrier
Monday morning is worked after mid
night on Sunday, and therefore the law
will not affect this mail. II win be de.
livered as promptly as hitherto. Mail
received up to midnight on Sunday
for lock boxes will be distributed to
the boxes and will be available TO box
holders on Sunday as usual.
Little Change Required.
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
reasonable construction of the new
law is that received at the postoiilces
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
10 lock boxes win be limited TO certain
classes of mail that cannot be held UNI
til Monday morning without serious
inconvenience to the addresses. This
mail will include that for newspapers
and hotel guestsl 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 office of dispatch and
on the railway mail trains in order to
simplify the work of distributing II In
the postoffices on Sunday.
Business Mail Unchanged.
"As 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 en-
benefit thus conferred on postal EN-.
ployes who are thereby relieved from
Sunday labor.
"ln order TO give the new provls-
ion as liberal a construction as pos
sible, postmasters will be instructed
on application to have their employees
sort out in emergency cases on Sunday
letters OF special Importance This
will supplement the present privilege
of having all mail delivered ON Sunday
that carries special delivery stamp.
"By the proposed changes In the
method of putting lip mail in the
Offices of origin and in Its handling
on the railway mail trains II is believ-
ed that satisfactory distribution can
be made In postoffices on Sundays with
far less work than Is now required.
Thus, the law. can be made tn confer
great benefits on postal employees
without Inconvenience to the public"
Mann confers with Officials.
Minority Leader Mann. of the House
arthor of the provision prohibiting the
delivery4to the general public" OF mail
on Sunday, discussed the subject yes
terday with postal officials. He said
there was no intent upon the part of
Congress so to restrict the activities
OF the postoffice Department as to in
convenience seriously the business pub
lie.
ut is absurd" he declared. "for any
body to assume that Congress- meant
to close postffioces as tight as a wedge
on Sunday. We simply required
that there should be no delivery OF
mail to the general public on Sunday,
in order that letter carriers and post
Office clerks might enjoy reasonable
respite from their labors. Such work
as is necessary for the distribution and
transmission of the mails naturally
must be done, otherwise business Of
the country might be seriously incon-
yenienced."