Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-03
MAILS CLOGGED
BY 8-HOURLAW
Service Crippled by Lack Of
Employees Parcel Post Adds
to Congestion.

Z VI. Norris. superintendent OF the
railway mai service, second district,
which embraces New York, said yes
to-day that he had traced many OF
ne complaints received about the
non-delivery. delayed delivery and
wrong delivery Of newspapers sent
through the mails and has found that
many OF the complaints are not caus-
ed by any fault Of the railway service
From whar he said IL seemed that
he was inclined 10 place the blame on
pOstofces a. points OF delivery.
For several months the New York
sun and all other New York news
papers have been receiving complaints
from out Of town subscribers and
practically every newspaper in town
has done all IL could 10 remove the
basis for such complaints. The com
plants, says the Sun, have been OF
all kinds and show that this class OF
mail, which is supposed 10 be accorded
preferential treatmen. in postofices.
has been receiving demoralized
service
Complaints have been received that
newspapers sent by mail have not
been delivered az all: other com
plants are that subscribers who for.
merly received their papers a day or
TWO after publication lately have re-
ceived them three or four days later.
A man in Seattle complained that
sometimes he has received his Satur-
days paper several days before the
paper for the previous Monday was
delivered
That the trouble is not purely local
Is shown By the following clipping
from the Scranton Tribune Republi-
can
when % hours are required for
q New York Sunday newspaper to
reach a Scranton destination and a
day and three-quarters for Pitts
1~r"h newspaper TO get into the hands
.. Scranton subscriber Il would ap-
ulr that there is some foundation,
the complain. that the new eight
hour law is playing havoc with the
mails and that there is imperative
need for more employees In the postal
department
The new law went into effect March
] 70 provides that postal clerks may
work only eight hours a day, and th2t
these eight hours the work must be
within a 10 hour limit.
The parcel post business has added
10 the congestion in postofices and
20 offset the loss OF time caused by
the new law. II should be understood
that the tieup caused by weather con
ditiOns In the middle west has moth
ing 20 do with the complaints, as
these we're numerous long before the
floods and have continued TO come
from districts not affected by weather
conditions.
Second Assistant Postmaster Gener-
al J. J. Britt resigned shortly after
the advent OF the new administration
and he has been succeeded by former
Governor Dockery OF Missouri Mr.
Dockery has sent out inspectors to
investigate the causes for delays, but
the situation has not improved
We have received complaints from
newspapers that the service has been
bad for FIVE or six months" said Mr..
Norris yesterday. Il have traced
many complaints and I have found
that not al the delay is caused in the
railway mail service In some in
stances ! have found that the railway
service has delivered newspapers IN
good time 20 towns"
Il have never seen the service so
bad In % years experience with the
newspapers" said a veteran circula-
ton man employed by one newspaper.