Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-03-06
The Mail Route Changes.
Winthrop, Me-, Mar

Winthrop, Me-, March 3, 1916
Editor Kennebec Journal:
l wish to correct an impression that
may be taken from your editorials OF
March End and 3rd and the quoted let
ter Of Post Master Plaisted Of Angus
ia relating to the recent change in
leaving time Of the r. F. D. carriers.
] shall state the facts from the Win
throp viewpoint. as l clearly see there
are somewhat different conditions here
than in Augusta.
The change was made by the Post
Office Department in the leaving time
Of 7.3O A. NJ. to $50 A. M. in order to
receive the incoming mail from Boston,
leaving there at A. NJ. Before the
change the last mail from the west
that could be delivered on the routes
left Boston at p. NJ. Of the previous
day. Thus all mail that accumulates
in Boston from Z p. NJ. to 3 A. NJ,
with the western connections, is now
delivered on our routes the same day
with a delay from the original time of
only two hours. l hardly believe the
patrons Of the routes generally think
the change is a step backward when
they consider that before the change
their important letters arriving on
the 856 A. NJ. train laid in the office
until the next morning for delivery.
AS for daily papers by the previous
arrangement only two local dailies
could be delivered on the routes on the
day Of issue. Now any Boston, Port
land, Lewiston, Augusta, Waterville
morning paper As delivered on the
routes the same day of issue. The pat
rons also receive direct mail from
aal points on the Pennington road and
north on the Sandy River r. r. which
now is delivered the same day as dis
patched in the morning.
AS to the dispatching of mail collect
ed on the routes our mail closing at
$40 p NJ. for all points east and west
is delivered in Mass, Portland. Lew
iston, Watervile and Bangor as early
as before. The only delay is in dis
patching such mail for post offices
between Winthrop and Watervlle on
the back road"
Hoping you may give this letter due
prominence in your paper, as | am
writing with the purpose of giving
light on the subject rather than cloud
ing the issue with political prejudice, |
am.
Respectfully,
II. c. MILLER, Z. NJ.
We are more than glad to give to
this letter all the prominence which
Postmaster Miller claims as his right.
1t is our wish to give the argument of
both sides-if there is more than one
Guiding the letter of Postmaster Miller
only one side has been presented. For
the excuses offered by our friend in
the letter published in connection
herewith. are the same old sophistries
that have been used to suit the pur-
poses of those who were better served
by delay than by efficiency. ever since
the writer was a postal clerk 80 years
ago. In other words. Postmaster Mil
Ter has wholly disarmed his argument
and discredited his position by declar-
ing the advantages" Of the carly de-
livery of the important" letters COL
Iected between the hours Of 7 P. M.
and A. M leaving Boston at the lat
ter hour, and arriving in Winthrop at
SIS \. NJ.
To the unthinkinG party who is not
in direct business relations with Bos-
ton houses, such an argument might
sound plausible. but every business
man knows. that business houses and
industrial plants, and the long lines of
business offices, have dispatched their
letters and closed their doors long
previous to p. NJ: that there are
comparatively few important business
letters collected, or dispatched between
the hours of p. NJ. and P. NJ. and
that the important mail matter leaving
Boston as late as P. NJ. contains the
great volume of business mail. And
this mail is delayed two hours the
next morning in the post office at VIM
throp instead Of being fastened to the
patrons Of that Office and giving them
an opportunity Of making reply and
getting it into a mail that would ar
rive in Boston the following morning.
Our Winthrop friend declares in the
letter he asks us to give prominence:
II hardly believe the patrons of the
routes generally think the change is
a step backward" We are sorry that
the patrons Of the routes going out
from Winthrop have not been as free
in complaint to their postmaster as
they have to the Kennebec Journal.
Indeed we are obliged to disagree with
this conclusion Of the postmaster for
the simple reason that complaints be-
gan to reach this office as soon as the
change was made. AS a matter Of fact.
it had been given no honest publicity
by its promoters until the actual
change was declared. The patrons Of
the routes were not consulted in the
matter, unless we have been misin-
formed by them.
1t is poor time to discuss the ques-
ton, now that what appears to us to
be backward step has been accom-