The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1914-09-12
FIRST STATEMENT OF
POSTMASTER OBERT
Post Office Receipts Much Less
Than for Corresponding
Period Last Year.

IL mas now Deen Two months since
t. Harry Obert succeeded Robert NJ.
Willis as postmaster of Pleasantville.
Upon assuming these duties Mr..
Obert said that he had no statement
to make, but that after he had been
in office for reasonable time and
could personally observe the require
| ments of the Office, then he would
state his views. He, therefore, makes
this, his first official interview.
He finds the needs of the office
very numerous. He considers the
most urgent to be additional clerks.
He desires to keep open all the time
the stamp window and the box de-
livery window, also the general de-
livery window, but finds this impossi-
BILE with the present assistance. The
civil service law requires that the
employees work but eight hours day
and this must be done within ten
/ hours time. The Pleasantville office
serves 5000 people and the number
of pieces of mail received and out
going has steadily increased until to-
day it requires nearly all the time of
the present force to care for this
mail. He solicits the consultation of
the business men and their inspection
of the working of the Office so that
they may assist him in securing addi-
tional clerks.
On the other hand, the receipts of
the office have not kept, pace with the
increased work. To the contrary,
they are steadily decreasing. Two
years ago the receipts of the local
office reached the high-water mark,
viz, $1,000 for the year. Since then
they have steadily decreased until
this year it is probable the revenue
from the sale of stamps, stamped
paper and box rents will fall below
$500. The following table tells the
tale:
Receipts July, 1913. 49,. .$753.04
Receipts July, 1914 -. 627.28
Decrease $125.76
Receipts August, 1913 :. .s767.15
Receipts August, 1914 -. 5000
| Decrease .$127.16
| Thus it is evident that many per-
sons who are using the local Office
as a forwarding Office and receive
their mail are not buying their
stamps here.
There was an agitation some time
ago for the experimental town deliv-
cry service here. This has now died
down, and the following extract from
a letter from Congressman Baker to
the Postmaster is self-explanatory on
this point:
"The free delivery matter has been
under consideration for some time.
The law requires that before a free
delivery is established, as you know,
the business of the Office should am
ount to at least $4,000 per year.
1t was suggested that a temporary
system should be established, but the
Department claims that is not a good
thing to do, and has never given sat
isfactory results, because it is not put
in operation fully and results in much
dissatisfaction.
81 do not know what the income of
your Office is. Just as soon as it is
possible to establish free delivery in
Pleasantville, l shall leave no stone
unturned to bring it about, and there
is more than that that ought to be
done by the Government in Pleasant
vile, which | hope will be accom-
plished. 1t is no easy matter to eff
feet what one believes is due a To-
cdllCy, unless is COMES lully WllllI
| the provisions of the general law.
81 will be very glad to know what
the extent of the business is there,
and the needs at the present time.
There has been information furnish
ed, say year ago, but doubtless
there are changes and advances that
it would be we'll enough to know
about"
Thus it will be seen that the only
way Pleasantville will have free de-
livery is when it becomes entitled to
city delivery. This can be brought
about only by the population reach
ing ten thousand souls or the receipts
of the office reaching the sum of
$4,000. AS above stated, two years
ago we came within 5000 of it, but
since then we have been steadily go
ing backward.
Mr.. Obert complains that too many
persons use the general delivery.
Since call box can be rented for 81
Concluded on Fifth Page.)