Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-01

in the House by Representative Lewis of
Maryland. and again, January % of the
Introduction of another bill. May p the
Postmaster General announced his ap-
prevail of the bill introduced by Senator
Bourne upon the subject. and June 10 he
expressed special satisfaction with the
Zone system proposed by Senator
Bourne. August % Mr.. Hitchcock urged
the adoption Of the House bill after the
Senate, August IL. had adopted SUBJ
stitute bill. and, when a bill was finally
agreed upon, the Postmaster General
promptly, August 70. appointed a special
committee to prepare plans for the new
system and arrange for all details. De-
cember D he announced that everything
was in readiness to comply with the law
January 1.
Names Postal Savings officials.
January 3 Theodore L. Weed was APP
pointed director and February 16 Arthur
L. Davis assistant director of the postal
savings system. On the latter date
George G. Thompson was also appointed
chief Of the Post Office Department.
January Representative Norris of Ne
braska introduced bill in Congress which
was designed to separate the postal serv-
Ice from politics. and January IL Senator
La Toilette introduced bill for one-cent
letter postage. October 10, following the
recommendations of Postmaster General
Hitchcock during the year and previously.
PRESIDENT Taft issued the order that
placed $4,000 fOurth-class postmasters i'm
the classified civil service
AS the result of the reforms introduced
and the recommendations of Postmaster
General Hitchcock-some of which re-
ceived the sanction Of Congress-there
was reorganization Of the railway mail
service during the year, and in Septem-
per 1t was announced as the result that
$4,000 railway mail clerks would receive
increases in pay. September the an
nouncement was made that 10000 rural
carriers also would receive additional
compensation Bills were also introduced
for the shortening of the hours of labor
of postal clerks and clerks in post offices.
and big results in this direction were ac-
complished by the new law prohibiting
the Sunday delivery of mail, which was
enacted by Congress.
Interruptions to Mail Service.
The department dealt with a serious
condition of affairs in Arkansas, Texas
and the Mississippi valley. due to inter-
ruption Of the mail service by extraor-
binary floods In those regions in April,
but 1t had everything going satisfactorily
by May l.
The latter part of November the depart
ment made country wide raid of men,
"OaiACiA anu IHStIlulIOuS efl&dKeQ In trade
in drugs in alleged violation of the postal
laws. and again. shortly before Christmas
by the raid upon the Sterling Debenture
Company. and the arrest and subsequent
indictment Of persons connected with it.
Matters of local interest in the postal
service during the year include the open
ing of the Randle Highlands postal sta
ton the middle of February; the promo
ton to the assistant postma stership from
the ranks of L. j. Robinson; the designa-
ton of the five big postal branches in
Washington as places where postal saw
ings might be deposited: the successful ex-
pertinent of collecting the mail from letter
boxes by man on motor cycle about
the middle of September: the instructions
given by Postmaster Merritt whereby
quick delivery of special delivery mail
might be made from contract Tor drug
store) stations, and the annual announce
ment of the dead letter sale and it's SUBJ
sequent postponement as a probable yio-
lation of the law against games of chance