The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-10-05
SAD news FOR
women CLERKS
Many in Dead Letter Office
VIII Be Sent to Other
Cities.
DUE TO CHANGED SYSTEM
New Plan, 1t Is Expected, viii Save
the Government Large Sums
Every Year.

Heartrending to more than sixty clerks,
mostly elderly women, of the Postoftice
Department, was the announcement yes
terday that il thew want to remain in
the Federal service they will have to
agree to be transferred to pOstOfices in
some instances hundreds of miles from
Washington.
This decision has been brought about
by the determination of the authorities
to decrease the force in the Dead-letter
Office and in the department here hav-
ing been distributed TO other postOffices
throughout the country.
CONSERVATION reigned among clerks
when the announcement was made, the
majority of them believing that the &C
ton of the authorities was the first step
in a move to gradually GUST them from
their positions in the service. In many
cases those affected are men and women
who have held positions in the govern
ment service for as long as twenty years
and few instances for longer period.
The rumOr also spread that the Dead
Letter Office was about 10 be abolished
Net 10 Gust Force.
Postoffice officials last night, however,
denied that such a step was contem-
plated. and also issued emphatic denial
that the announcement of the proposed
transfers Of the sixty clerks meant that
the entire force of the Dead Letter Office
Mas about TO be Ousted Under the pres
ent plan, they declared. the forge of the
Dead Letter Office would be merely de-
creased and places would be found in
the service for all those not needed in
that particular Office.
For some time II has been felt that
the Dead Letter Office in Washington
was the source of much useless expense
to the government in causing additional
transportation charges that might be
done away with. 1t is now the plan OF
officials to throw the major part, or, If
possible, all the work of the Dead Let
ter Office on the divisional stations of
the Railway Mail Service throughout the
country. Much of this work already has
been shifted TO the various stations and
the removal of clerks in the Dead Let
ter Office was ordered so that these
clerks slight be transferred to the sta
lions to take up the burden Of the addi-
tiOnal work made there under the new
plan.
Work to BE Divided.
There are fifteen divisional railway
mail stations in the United States. To-
Gated in the principal cities. The work
of the Dead Letter Office in Washing
ton eventually will be divided among
these stations.
1t is the argument OF those who favor
the abolition of the present system in
the Dead Letter Department that it is
losing thousands of dollars for the gov
eminent in the following way:
At present, II a letter is mailed by a
man in Portland. Greg, or any OF the
most distant points from the Dead Let
ter Office. to a friend in the same place
and IL this friend cannot be found. that
letter has to be transported all the
way to Washington before the first
step in tracing out its proper destina-
ton, or even in the identification OF
the sender can be taken. The number
of letters that come into the Wash
ington Office annually is enormous. of
course, and the transportation cost of
them is a great drain on the govern
ment Golfers.
Under the new plan a letter ad-
dressed to any one that cannot be de-
livered will be sent directly to the
nearest of the divisional stations for
investigation. and thus, the officials OF
the POstoffice Department figure the
governments mail bills for each year
will be greatly reduced.