The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-14


panics great saving in delivery
charges will be realized on the popu.
lar-si=cd volumes
bettcr cooperation between divisions
oi inc service is being effected by tn.
Iost-Oncc Department. Thus the real
way mail clerks are now packing par
eel post articles by hand into Iarpc
Tic sacks so coinpactly that the dan
ger oil damage is reduced to :, mini
mum This careful packing save.
Uncle Sam money on tho number Of
refunds he must pay for articles which
careless landings have rendered unfit
for acceptance.
New Terminal Feature.
Tho new terminal feature of the rail
way mail service in conjunction with
the delivery department. and installed
in large railway stations will gave
much time in the delivery OF the bust
ness mans ont-of-town mail By pro,
liminary sorting at the depot. In q
separate room set aside for thc ,r,,-
pose before the arrival OF mail trains
congestion in the mail cars is relieved
and the clerks arc enabled to complete
all Of their Observation-Disclosures and
final sortinr--cn route before dcs,i-
nation is renchcd. This termina, idea
is in vogue in the new Union Station
1T Washington and the Grand Central
station at New York Similar limo
Nations are considered FOR the entire
country.
MANY new mechanical devices arc
being introduced by the postal service
10 expedite the delivery OF the bust
ness mans correspondence SPECIFY
convcYois carry mail from one end o.
Post-oihc" TO the other: endless belt
systems continually revolving. and
small CARRIERS on cables jump letters
from one department to another in III.
space OF few seconds: pncutnati,
tubes connecting The main Offices o.
the city with the distant branch Offices
dispatch letters uptown in two or three
seconds; underground tubes between
raiiwa% dcpcts and city offices scrv.
TO increase speed the desirable asxe,
IN delivery Of commercial mail.
Model city Post-Omc-.
\ model city posr-ohice for the on.
trc country is being built in Washing
. Ton q u cost OF $4,000 goc /, viii bo
/ classic structure OF white crauit..
l'and will directly adjoin the great
! Union Station To which i, will he con
Through big tunnel matter will bo
. directly carried from the Government
PRINTING Once. and elaborate tube
system VIII connect with Tho Capi,oi
/ the Library Of Congress and POSTPONE
/ Department. The most modern time
saving appliances for tho handling of
mail will he Installed here rms
! scheme OF building city post offices di
'ectiy adjacent TO central railway sta
''ohs marks new pclicy OF the postal
I service.
I Tie postal savings system also has
+ world since it, beginning IN 1911.
/ deposits agsregatine s2s 600 900 ave
/ row credited to about 10000 dcposi-
= tors. This means tina, thc small wage.
I earners. who hitherto honrdcd thcir
SAVINGS OF sent them abroad. are nut.
, hng in circulation. through tho postal
4 saving system. millions that would
I nave been lost 10 trade. Banks. quail.
ned To receive this money from tic
government. are benefited. ana through
them tn" business man has q, has ,iiu-
posai th!s great fund for commercial
purposes.
hiding Hca,. shippers.
Wh'lc the parcel post l., aidiuc our
shippers Of small srticlcs. the Intci-
state Commerce Commission Is coming
10 TIC aid OF Shipper Of heayy goods
With tho ono ni,n-to cqtlali2c rate.
IN" regulations OF Interstate trauspoi.
i"tion-cvery rate invcati:ation ana
lu'iuS that this commission has made
mas scrt"d rs a protection II, ind vi,jua\
shipping firms. Assurance tn :. shin
per that the rates under when Ia.
Transports his goods m. exactly th.
same as those Of his competitors re
licVes all doubts Of unjust discrimtu,
ton that may enter his mind When
! IT Is realized that through govern
I HeHt ruling, prevailing rates aic kept
uniform and without change cxccpt ola
reasonable notice. tho American shin
per has renewed stimulation TO busi.
ness
Eaie wars that prevailed TO so crcaf
an extent in the past. are done away
with by a new system. recently intro
duccd. FOR computing express chnrccs
There are some 5000 express o,Ilcog
IN this country. 4 separate statement
OF rates from each one OF these stations
10 all Of tho others would renuir. :,
list OF over 100000, 600 IT is apparent
now difficult II would be 10 find i'm SO
! lengthy a list, the lowest rates that
/ are applicable 70 shipments between
! Two cities when possibly even more
than one route Exists
Zone System for Exprcss. Tao
IT is small wondcr Tint the shippcrs
III the past have been overcharecd and
| uhdercharGcd by express COMPANIES
In the last year zone system. similar
to that now used by the parcel post
was introduced. Ey il the country is
divided into blocks. each formed by a
degree OF latitude and longitude Rates
are now applicable TO shipments be-
tween blocks instead Of from station 10
station.
Ihis new system reduces the mum.
! Der OF rates from G.oG0.00e,000 to less
Than $4,000. Even this number has
been thought too intricate for a local
agent to handle intclliscntly. So il
! is also proposed that each express com,
panN publish II separate sheet giving
an OF It's rates from one block TO an
other. Then the local agents by tho
use OF II single sheet and the block
map could tell at once the scale az
rates used by each company between
his block and every other MI sta
lions within block would he grouped
as ono, this being n further simpli-
hcation FOR avoidance Of difficulties in
compute ton.