Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-07-15

the public. From beginning to the
present hour the incumbent (should be
termed "REcumbent") administration
Of Uncle Sans postal affairs has been
unworthy Of a great nation. The
Hartford -courant recently said:
The management Of the United
States postofi1ce is altogether unwor-
thy of a great nation and of an enter
prising people. This is not altogether
a partisan comment. The republican
management some time ago got pos
sessed Of the idea that one-cent post
age would be popular. disregarding
the fact that we have it already for
unimportant communications and that
any valuable letter is worth two cents.
This led to niggardly management
and this was followed by excessive re-
gard to the demands Of employees,
| which led to more cheese-paring
economy" The democratic policy has
continued and enlarged this mean
ness. We are not objecting to fit
payment for the employees in the pos
tai service. They are hard-worked.
The railroad mail men have always
large labors. and the carriers go load
ed to the gunwales with the unde-
sired stuffs that an already too cheap
postage rate compels them to drag
about to their discomfort until it is
delivered, to the discomfort Of those
It is addressed to. when the carriers
get rid Of it.
1t is time to put the postal house
in order We are not calling for more
work to be dumped upon those now
working. but that the number of en-
rloyes be made adequate to carrying
on the service to which the public is
entitled. At every holiday and on
Sundays, which are sometimes classed
as holidays. the post office is either
dead or paralyzed The reason Of
this is simple. The workers have more
or less Of the day off and there is
nobody else to do 1t. We are not for
ordering these men to abandon holt
days; we only live once apiece and all
work and no play is: injurious. But
what the people have q right to de-
mand is that, when the regular force
is off duty, then others shall be on
the job so that the mail shall be avail
able
What If the telegraph companies
shut down on such days. What If
steam and electric roads decided that
their men ought to have the day off!
But the mail is just as essential as
these branches Of utility. The reason
we are shut out is that the absurd no
ton has developed that the postal
service must be got into shape to an
nounce a reduction. 1t is time for
somebody to declare that the most i'm
portant announcement for the post
Office to make is that it is able to do
the business it is called upon to do.
Postal facilities shrink instead Of
expanding with the growth Of the
country. Almost all of this is attrib-
utable to the inability to do the work
or unwillingness to pay for it. Only
yesterday morning the Courant noted
that it was not possible on the Fourth
of July to buy postage stamp at the
post office or anywhere near it, unless
by personal favor Of some friend right
here in Hartford. Why wasn't the
post office open? Because it was a
holiday How about the railroads and
how about the telephone and how
about the telegraph? These are neces-
sary. Is it possible that the general
government conducts the post office on
the theory that it, too, isn't neces-
sary? Let's have enterprise instead of
economy in this vital department.