Omaha daily bee., 1916-01-01
MAIL DIVISION HAS
CENTER In OMAHA
Change in Amount Due to War and
Various Conditions Which Have
Been Altered.
TERMINAL RAILWAY OFFICES

postoffioes with respect to eSeir out
going mails.
In addition to the service on the rail-
road lines there are five terminal rail-
way postoffices. two OF which are To-
Gated at Omaha and the others at Coun-
Gil Bluffs, Ia, and Denver and Pueblo.
Colo. These terminals were organized
for the purpose of taking up the dis
tribution of circulars and parcel post, as
&c can be performed in them more eco
nomically than I'm postal cars. There
have been some changes during the year
in the distribution performed. certain
mails distributed in the Fourteenth divi-
sion terminals having been shifted 30
terminals in neighboring divisions, and
vice versa. There have also been
changes in the matter of the mails dis
tributed by postoffices and turned over
TO railway postofflce lines for distribu-
ton.
The total distribution during the year
1915 in these lines and terminals was
17.169,155 packages OF letters, 4.633,52a
sacks of papers and 63s,O7S sacks OF par
eel post, an increase over the year 1914
of approximately 10000 packages OF let
tiers and 10000 sacks OF papers and a
decrease OF about $4,000 sacks OF parcel
post.
Change in Terminals.
The decrease in parcel post is accounted
for by the fact that the parcel post from
the east for South Dakota. which was
formerly distributed in the Council Bluffs
terminal, has been transferred to the
terminal at Sioux City. Ia, and the Colo
RADIO parcel post from the east. all of
which was formerly distributed in the
Denver terminal, has been transferred.
30 that that coming from the Chicago
gateway is distributed at Omaha. and
that from New York by way OF Pitts
burgh is distributed at Kansas City; so
the division has lost all of the South
Dakota and about half OF the Colorado.
In addition many of the big eastern mail
order houses which, when the parcel
post system was first inaugurated,
shipped their mail so that it was dis
tributed in the terminals, have now
found II cheaper TO ship by freight 20
various minor points at which parcels
are mailed for offices in nearby zones,
the combined freight rate and local par
eel post rates being cheaper than the
through rate on parcel post. A great
part Of such shipments is made up by
the mail order houses themselves in III
rect sacks for many postoffices, so while
they are transported they are not dis
tfibuted by this service
The number of men employed in the
division. including officials, was s75 on
January /. 1915, and s41 on January /,
1916. a decrease during the year OF thirty
four employees.
Work f. Changed.
Thn forK rait
inaugurated during the latter part of
1913 and during 1914. They took over
much work which had been performed
upon the lines. It required many men
to man them and these had to be ap-
pointed at once. while the reduction upon
the lines could not be made until the
effect upon them of the terminals was
ascertained. So that the year just closed
represents a readJustment to meet the
new conditions brought about by the ter
rninals, and It has been satisfactory to
this division, in that while there has
been net reduction in the force, the
vacancies occurring have taken care Uf
the clerks, and It has not been mecca
sary to remove any from the service
1t has. however, been a hard year for
substitute clerks. as the process Of TAX
ing care of the regular clerks has left no
vacancies for new appointments. This
readjustment, however. has now been
completed, there are no surplus clerks
TO care for, and with normal increases
in the mail and the normal vacancies
which occur. the coming year will offer
better prospects for those who have
taken the civil service examination and
are carried on the substitute rolls.
War Has It's Effects.
Undoubtedly also the war has had its
effect on the volume OF mails, and the
last two years have not seen the nor
NAL increase of about per cent per
annum which usually occurs. More re-
cent indications and such statistics as
are available indicate that this period
of depression has passed and that the
mails are again increasing In something
ike their normal proportion.
The holiday malls may be taken as
some index of the condition of pros
perity In the country, the week before
Christmas showing always an enormous
increase In the malls carried. This year
elaborate preparations were made to
handle these mails during the ten days
ended with Christmas day. in order 20
avoid congestion and delay. The flooj
was kept moving this year with less
friction than ever before. notwithstand-
ing there was an unquestionable increase
in the quantity Officials OF the Bur
ington estimate that on fits lines out OF
Omaha it carried about IS per cent more
mail during this period than in the cor
responding period a year ago. and the
increase on the Union Pacific lines carry
ing the overland malls was quite az
marked.
Good Index.
Parcel post for Nebraska from the east
is sent to the terminal in the Burling-
ton station at Omaha. ana as there has
been no change in this practice since the
Inauguration OF this terminal more than
two years ago. it is considered a fair in
dex OF the comparative volume of the
Christmas mails. During the week pre-
eeding Christmas there were distributed
$3.50 sacks OF Nebraska parcel post In
this terminal in 1918; S,612 sacks in 1914,
and SAP sacks I'm 1915.
During recent months there has been
some decrease in the parcel post for
this state as cOmpared with a wear aRo