The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-30
EXPANSION IN THE i
P0ST-0FF|CE WORK
Richmond's 'Post-Offi
as a Business Barom-
eter Shows Well.
BIGGER BUSINESS
YEAR BY YEAR
Some Dry Figures and Boring
Statistics, but Interesting All
the Samc-Seed Dealers Are
Enormous Stamp Buyers.
Heavy User Is Small
Purchaser.
ny FRANC 5. wooDsoN.

ny FRANC =. WOODSON.
In other columns OF the Industrial
Section OF this week there are articles
on real estate expansion. on suburban
expansion. on annexation. on Times
Dispatch expansion and on several
other kinds OF expansion. MI OF these
speak cloquently of Richmond cxpan-s,
sion in general and show in con-
crete way much about the ways and
means by which and through which
this good town is growing ana eX-
pandins oy leaps and bounds. Bur
after all, nothing shows in better, way
tho growth and progress of town than
do the facts and figures that tell the
story OF the growth and expansion OF
the post office business.
Much has been said OF late about
the increased business of the Rich
| mond post-once. The erection of the
new million dollar building, tbs syste-
| netizing of the same, the Introduction
! OF the parcel post service, and num-
! her of other twentieth century inno-
| vations in the post-ofIlce business,
have tended OF late 10 bring the Rich
| mond post office into the lmelght-
and not a little publicity it has been
| getting Readers Of The Times Dis
| patch have been told OF all of these
/ things and have read about them with
| not little OF pleasure but II is pos
sible that they have not. as yet, given
| very much study TO the real figures
and statistics. Maybe they do not
| love to read and study dry statistics
very much. Such as do not, might as
well skip this story right now, be-
cause II Is going to deal right largely
| in figures and statistics. Such are
| necessary to fully tell The story OF
how the Richmond rost-onc business
has been growing within the past hale
! decade.
ucucr Watch the Barometer.
The post-oflicc business III Richmond
or ANY other city or any town is q.
commercial barometer that tells nm
crrnely Of thc business that the city
or the town is doing. II the post-of-
flee business OF any city or town ia
growing. then that city or town la
! growing; If the post office business ia
decreasing. then the city or town is
simply dying. ana that is all there is
TO be said about it,
Here some dry figures that have
been furnished me from tho official
r. cords In tho year 1907 the total
receipts OF the Richmond post Office
amounted TO 35i56o6. The next year
they footed mp sd3a.9S2. The next
Scar they jumped To s5S5.3l5. In 1910
they grew tn s6%6,c0 In 1911 they
went to s6So.:iS aud in 1912 to S77o,
GIG. The estimates for the current
year based upon the receipts SO far,
put the figures for this good year at
fS.','lb. an Increase since 1907 OF
/ s3l:,2l?.
NcU Doing the Work.
In 1907 there were in tho Office eigh-
ty-sevcn clerks one laborer, seventy
two carriers thirty-nvc railway clerks
and eight special delivery boys, all of
whom were paid in salaries Sl79,0ss.
This force had To be Increased as the
business of the Office Increased from
month 10 monta and from year to
year. until now there is in the Office
l24 clerks. four laborcrs. ninety car.
riers, fifty; three railway clerks, four
teen special delivery boys and other
employees whose total pay is, s324,3a5.
Add to this the pay OF the rural FREQ
delivery men from all over the State,
who are paid from the Richmond post
office, and tho payroll will contain the
names of 1850 more mon, whose pay at
present Is sl,OS0. 600 In 1907 there
were on tho Richmond post-office pay
roll $50 rural free delivery carriers,
whose pay was in tho aggregate s601,-
5oi. Their increase alone has amount.
cd to s47S,4GS.
On top OF this. since the first of
January. when tho parcel post system
was put in effect, the following addi-
tional force has been installed: five
clerks, four carriers. three, wagons
and teams with drivers. and these
have added 5000 10 tile pay out for
salaries etc.
stations BtS, and Little.
in 1907 the number OF sub-stations,
a part of the Richmond post office
system, was fifteen that carried sal
aries amount 10 $3.50. To- day thers
are within the territory of the Rich
mond post office twenty-threc sub-sta-
tons and it takes si,55l to pay tho
salaries OF the people employed. This
shows an increase Of eight stations
and salaries of slightly over 1000.
In the registry department. an In
} crease of large dimensions has also
been shown. IN 1907 the number OF
pieces registered was $500 pieces re-
ccivcd for delivery. 5000; pieces hand
led in transit. 6@.l0.. The figures for
This year arc as follows: pieces reg
istered, S5.j55. pieces received Tor de-
livery, l25,il9. pieces handled IN tran
sit. S0.00u
Thu increase in the money order de-
partmcnt is even more marked. The
following dry figures speak FOR them
selves In 1907 domestic orders is
sued li.3S1, international orders is~
sued, lisa: domestic orders paid dos
6il, International orders paid, 29J.
For 1918, domestic orders issued. 60
o97: international orders issued. a,osst;
domestic orders paid t00i3I inter-
national orders paid. l:9,
some Curious Enct,.
asked the assistant POSTMASTER
many searching questions regarding:
7 the business OF the post Office, and
learned for the first time that In
sense the officials of the postal seryIce
regard their business with their ots,
4 toners as rather confidential. ard
they do not tel. any tales out e,f
school, However, II leaked out III ths y
course of very interesting uonvcrs
sation that the. seed dealers or this $
city are the heaviest buyers OF utRpIpH.
especially at this season OF the Year.
4 The increase Of their. stamp ppgchasa4S
-TT ,rsnntiu,,c "a d :, SsJ- ~, tyr -