Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-14


him in Santa Claus Land.
And il Is all because ne has relieved
his mind OF a great burden through Uncle
Sans assistance; for, this year, the bulk
OF the Santa Claus reindeer delivery is to
be looked afte- by the parcel post
Though still in its infancy, being less
than a year old, the parcel post is a well
established success, and its growing pop
ularity is shown by the daily increasing
volume of business. While there have
been all sorts of caIamitious prophecies
scattered broadcast over its fate during
the Christmas holiday fioodtide of traf-
nc the officials i'm Washington are con-
ident they have provided against even
the possibility of congestion. They have
established a system of parcel post ter
minals in eighty-two of the large cities
of the United States. all of which, except
possibly those of Parke sburg, w. Va,
and Raleigh, n. C. will be in operation
by tomorrow. and these two will be COM
pleted before Christmas.
The terminals are located in the follow
Ing cities. where regular quarters have
been constructed and regular crew pro
vided: Pennsylvania New York;, st.
Louis. Kansas City, Central Jersey City,
Hoboken. Erie Jersey city, Pittsburgh,
Fort Worth, Sacramento. Los Angeles.
Dallas Washington, st. Joseph, c. &
y. W. (Chicago,. Cincinnati, Columbus
Indianapolis. Rochester, Philadelphia,
Buffalo. Albany, Grand Central New
York;, Union tChicago), La Sale tChi-
cago, st. Paul. Des Moines, Houston.
Providence. Toledo Memphis. Wabash
avenue tChicago), Syracuse. Council
Bluffs, San Francisco. Seattle Boston.
vile. Wheeling. Nashville. Cleveland.
Atlanta Columbus. Grand Rapids. Jack
sonville, Milwaukee Montgomery,
Springfield. Ha risburg, New Haven.
ton, Denver. New Orleans, Birmingham.
Chattanooga, Lincoln. Pueblo, Salisbury.
Baltimore Knoxville Greensboro, Char
lotte. Denison, FL Paso. Evansville. Fort
Smith, Little Rock Oklahoma City,
Parkersburg. Portland. Me: Raleigh,
San Antonio, Spokane, Texarkana, Utica
and Wichita.
A. II. Stephens. general superin-
tendent of the railway mail service.
under whose Jurisdiction the parcel
post his been placed. is about the bus
lest official working for Uncle Sam
these days. Not only is he helping
Santa Claus keep to his schedule and
deliver the toys and other gifts on
scheme that promises to become one
of the greatest the government has
for many years.
The principal problem, according to
Mr.. Stephens. which confronted the de-
partment after the inauguration OF the
parcel post system was that of dis
tribution. Railway post office cars,
which were built and furnished with
the view of distributing ordinary let
ter and paper mail were not available
for the new service. In addition, the
cost of railway post office car space
became a very important factor. Ii Is
the most expensive space rented by
the government. costing between $lZ
and SIS per square foot per annum
Even were the cars properly equip
ped for this new service there was not
a proper supply of this class OF rolling
stock 1t takes from ten TO twelve
months for the car building companies
to turn out new steel cars such as are
now required by the department, with
for parcel post mail The
most up-to-date example in modern car
building, according TO government re-
is constructed with the let
ter racks in the middle. shelving along
the sides for insured and imperishable
mail which is hung from metal racks
made to accommodate the larger sacks
Each end of this car is provided with
stanchions and shelving for the ac-
of the large parcel post
packages The car has no wood in its
except the window sashes,
even the floor being of cement While
none of these cars has as yet been in
a serious wreck. the department Of
fcials sure that their construction
rs fireproof and that the Christmas mail
they will contain is safer from destruc-
ton than has ever been the case be-
fore.
The length of time taken to construct
these ears has made IL necessary to
make additional provisions for the in
creased volume of mail. Besides, the
heavy cost of the distribution space
has been d factor in the working out
of some method whereby the parcel
post mail would be handled outside of
the railway post office cars.
In ANTICIPATION OF the Christmas rush
of business and to properly care for the
rapidly growing parcel post trade after
ward, the Post Office Department is es-
tablishing railway post Office terminals
in eightytwo cities throughout the coun-
try. These terminals will all be COM
pleted and in operation by December
10 and will be the greatest factor in the
speedy delivery of all Christmas packages
sent by parcel post. Heretofore terminal
railway post offices had been in operation
at seven of the cities distributing peri
odicals which had been dispatched by
freight
In those which already had been estab-
HShed Tor the purpose Of distributing
periodicals. which are commonly called
blue tag mail, the distribution of par
eel post and ordinary mail was taken
up, and of course at all of the new termi-
mails all OF the different classes of mail
were distributed The establishment of
these terminal railway post offices was
primarily for the handling of parcel post
matter originating at those centers or
which could be sent 10 them for dispatch
tc destination by local trains
Parcel post mail originating at the Of
nee at which a terminal is located is sep
.rated into directs; that is, made up
ever the quantity is not sufficient TO
justify bag for particular office
the mail for several offices Is made up
for a distant terminal railway post Of
nee. Therefore, each terminal railway
post office Is receiving from all other
terminal railway post offices-or nearly
all OF them-parcel post mail each sack
containing mail for several offices and by
this assemblage enough for each office
Is obtained To justify a direct sack, :"
and this sack Is dispatched by a local
train IN the baggage car.
In providing for the handling OF par
Gel post matter outside OF mail cars :
said Mr.. Stephens, the department also