The Washington times., 1915-10-27
Residents Prepare to Wage Re.
termined Campaign for I'm
provement Of Conditions.
TWO ISSUES ARE INVOLVED
Abolition Of Congress Heights
Rural Delivery and New
Auto Service Criticised.

Residents Of the Oxon Hill district
~ MARYLAND, as we'll as those in the en-
fire southeast end OF the District. with
in n seven-mile radius of Anacostia,
are up in arms over the mail service
being supplied this territory.
The Congress Heights Public I'M
provement Association. and influentiai
residents Of this thickly populated ter
ritory have locked horns with the pos
tai authorities over the situation and
are prepared for determined fight.
There are two issues involved. one is
tn abolition of rural delivery service
from the Congress Heights postoffice.
and the other the consolidation OF three
rural routes serving this territory by
horse drawn vehicle. into two auto
mobile routes starting from Anacostia.
instead of Congress Heights.
Jesse l.. Heiskell of the realty firm
Of Heiskell d McLeran. whose bone Is
near Oxon Hill, declared today Chat the
new service was highly unsatisfactory.
I'VE have been getting mail all sorts
Of ways" he said. THE old three-route
se-drawn service was satisfactory,
but since September the service has
been worse than none.
Service Criticised.
I'VE may get one delivery n day at
my home. at any time between o'clock
and o'clock. on one occasion n
special delivery letter sent from there
was never mailed at all. The mails have
been entrusted 70 persons who do not
know the routes or the people on them
We were informed by the postal author
tiles that the service was an expert
mental one, but ] believe that the cx-
pertinent is n highly dangerous one. and
it is certainly most unsatisfactory. After
complaints from US" he continued, the
Did carriers We're put back some time
ago, but a week ago they were taken
of again and the automobile service
put back m. There have been instances
where mail has been given to children
In the road to mail
Says Some Get No Service.
II understand the automobile service
Ia a contract one, and | am sure that
It will not improve. There are sections
of the road that will most certainly be
impossible for automobiles during the
heavy weather Of the winter months
Some PERSONS Mr.. Heiskell declared In
conclusion. ARE not getting their mails
at all. and have 10 walk in to Congress
Heights to get them"
W. w. Price, who with Mr.. Heiskell.
J. S. Lyon. and NJ. L. Mckay, was APP
pointed as a committee by the Congress
Heights Improvement Association to
take uD tho matter of restoring rural
delivery from Congress Heights, said to-
day that every effort would be made to
restore the old service. This Is a
great and populous territory" he said,
and growing at a rapid rate. 1t has
one of the biggest Industries In the city
at the steel plant. yet 1t has not a mail
service commensurate with that given
the most sparsely settled rural COM
munities." The committee. he said, had
reached an understanding with Post
master PraeGer over the Congress
Heights station.
Calls System Experimental.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Rlakslee. who has charge of all rural
mail delivery. stated today that the
service was an experimental one. and
that he was Consinced that the new
service would be a success II given a
fair chance. The opposition, he declared
seems to be against the motor service
and the consolidation of routes. The
men handling the vehicles, he explained
are a little green, and may make mis-.
takes. but he Is confident that the
service will be improved and will be
better than heretofore.
Mr. Blakslee absolutely denied that
amy patron of the former routes was
now denied service. declaring that every
resident on the former routes had beer
cared for In the consolidation. He woulG
like to know Of specific instances OF
poor service, or lack of service. thai
they might be inquired into. he said.