Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-04
NEW ORDER WILL CURTA|L
RICHMOND MAIL TERMINAL
Department Directs Reduction OF
Local Force From Fifteen to
Nine Men.
CHANGE EFFECTIVE TONIGHT
Growing Activities OF Richmond
Terminal Will BE Abridged and
Business Transferred to Washing
ton, Unless Action Ia Taken.

Orders curtailing the operations of
the railway mail terminal in this CITY.
causing six high salaried men TO be
thrown out OF employment and greatly
reducing the Importance of Richmond
as postal centre, have been issued by
the Post-ofice Department. Unless
local business men get together i'm
mediately and succeed in having the
order rescinded. IL will go into effect
tonight. and the terminal. which has
been growing daily in Importance will
be sharply abridged.
The order came as surprise to
local officials. Postmaster Hay T,
rhorn ton statedSlast night that he had
not heard of 1t, and while Superintep-
dent Valentine. OF the railway mail
terminal admitted that such an order
had been issued. he would not discuss
II. From reliable authority, however,
II was learned that the order goes into
effect tonight. Washington il is said.
VIII reap the benefit of the change.
ONLY EIGHT-SEvEN
TERMINALS IN COUNTRY
There are only eight-seren railway
mail terminals In the country, and the
fact that one was located here added TO
the Importance of the city as postal
centre. In the Office here mail for
Eastern Virginia and East Carolina.
sent here from all sections of the coun-
try in bulk. was sorted out for distri-
oution and was forwarded to it's destt-
nation. The terminal also handled in
coming parcel post in the same man
ner. and in times of rush assisted the
local office in forwarding outgoing par
eel post matter.
Fifteen men were employed in the
terminal, and its work was growing
apace, principally on account of the
distribution of all 1-cent circular mail,
which was added to it's duties several
months ago. The order, which be-
comes effective tonight. takes this
work away from Richmond and gives
il to the Washington office.
Richmond postal officials arc unani-
nous In tie opinion that the curtail-
mcnt OF the local terminal will work
to the disadvantage OF this city In
stead Of permitting n branch of the
service to expand, it will choke It's
growth. and such procedure, il is held,
can only work to the disadvantage OF
the local service. This, moreover, is
without taking into consideration the
monetary loss from the cutting off of
six men from their work.
CONCERTED ACTION MAY
PREVENT CGRTAILNIENT
Quick and concerted action may save
the terminal Senator Claude y. Swan
son. as member of the Congressional
PoSt-Offcc Committee, may he of as
sistance. while all other Virginia Rep
rcsentatives would have some weight
with the department The action.
however. would have to be speedy. as
the order. once effective. would prac-
tically abolish the terminal and 1t
would take considerable work to have
II established.
The work of the Railway Mail Ter
minals are gaining In Importance. In
number of Southern cities large and
commodious quarters have been estab-
lished. In Atlanta. Dallas and other
places rs many rs thirty men are en-
ployed. Greensboro. ~ c., will be of
more Importance than Richmond in the
Railway Mail Service. if the local office
Is cuI tailed, as ii now has rs many
employees.
One OF the reasons assigned for tnk-
ing the circular distribution aw"N
from Richmond is that the work .
be handled more eXpeditiously M
Washington. IL this is true. ii is
pointed out, circulars destined for
North Carolina could be handled bet
ter in Richmond. which has the finest
dispatching facilities in either state.
BY the same token, the Richmond Of
flee could easily be developed until it
is dispatching all circular matter for
Virginia. North Carolina, Eastern
Georgia and Florida. Certainly, rail
road men point out, this city would
have better dispatchinG facilities for
these States than Washington has
THORNTON EXPRESSES
REGRET AT NEW ORDER
Postmaster Thornton. while not hav-
ing any official connection with the
terminal. which is under the super
vision Of the Railway Mail Service,
said last night that he would be sorry
to see it's work curtailed.
The terminal, In my opinion. is n
very essential thing for Richmond"
he said "I would hate to see it go.
because ] believe that it's future will
be hurt by any curtailment now. 1t
adds to tho Importance OF Richmond
as a postal centre. and tho business
Continued on Fifth Page.)