Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-08
Mail Clerk Tells How More
and More Mail Is Thrown
Off at Bluffs.
DELAYS GROWING LONGER

widespread dissatisfaction and disap
proval among its patrons as exists a
the present moment nor such dis
enlargement, unrest and bitterness o
feeling against the Postoffice depart
ment among the men of the service
and there are more men Of this serv
ice today investigating the possibilit,
of entering some other line of worl
than ever before. The cause of al
this trouble is the inefficient methods
of handling mail instituted by tn,
present postmaster general in thu
name of economy.
Every move that is made is madt
to save money. The people are de
MED the right to have a service they
are perfectly willing to pay for be
cause It costs too much, and there !.
foisted upon them, against their will
and in spite of their wishes in tht
matter, a cheaper service and much
poorer business medium than before
| say against their will, for in every
instance where service and clerk ha:
been taken off trains and supplanted
by the system Of fifty years ago post
Offices shipping closed pouches to
ore another), a remonstrance, good
and strong and from many people
has gone to congressman and sen.
ators, and has been followed up by
every big business organization af.
fected, and these have been placed
before Mr.. Burleson and his second
assistant, but so far they have been
brushed aside with fiat refusal to
reinstate or re-establish anything.
More Delays.
At Council Bluffs and other large
mail centers more and more mail OF
all classes is being taken from the
trains and crowded into the terminals
Gan institution that should be used
only for the distribution of fragile
and bulky parcel post and large cir
cular maiD, in order to save space
in mail cars, and here it is held until
it is distributed--often a week or
more, 1t is worked up into direct
sacks and packages and shipped in
baggage or storage cars because
that also is cheaper transporta-
ton, and while you are waiting day
after day for your magazine and your
wife wonders why the Ladies' Home
Journal or the Woman's Home Com
panion does not come, government
postofiice inspector, when shown the
Of delayed mail, will
point at it with his thumb and say 1t
makes NJ difference when Junk" like
that gets home.
Many a sack of Chicago and other
eastern daily papers have left the
Council Bluffs terminal three, or four
days after the date on their title
page, and many truck load of cir
cular-letter mail has remained in the
terminal till the day of its usefulness
was past before it was racked, made
up into direct sacks and shipped to
its western destination. ....
The day once was when all mail
went directly to its destination in mail
cars and was distributed en- route and
no time lost, but now II it can be done
cheaper the loss of time is not con-
sidered. These are not laphazard
statements and absolute proof in the
shape of records, labels from delayed
sacks, substantiated statements as to
dates received and dispatched, can
and will be furnished to the right in
luiring party, and if congressional
Investigation should result the names
Of witnesses will be furnished to sub
stantiate the facts.
Back to Old System.
Ont IN the state of Nshr,sLo and
,ther states "a wsl, service has hssn
taLer fron, a rrr,h.r &c a. "ss ,, ill.,
lines ent;re,v and thsse neo e h,n.
been a;vsn Tho o,d snd p, .n,;n,,atod
svstem of r.L;,a -, nnrchss T. tho
and d;sn ~ pNre ths ~ 't ~
pne .nothsr Tf uo ,ps sha,,id ,. ,t ,o ~
ter. ~ .ha.. 49, H. '. .bs,' VII 'I =.
thrown into n. .srr,;r ~. oos WV b l..
The clerk IN the main liz. tr,;n ,nJ
i i ~ bms;n.ss af ~. ,a.. ' ".a
~ J;str;hr.s th.r, ~ ths a pU,.ia't T..
,n,Las ard ,oni. .ho,, e 81, poa Vii a.
match them IN ~. sxnrsss ', tra as ao
nhen ths TAIN ra,, H Il h.;a a'' h a,l
The mail from a , ,he nos uss od for
sII ,o;nts ror.h sou.h p post nnd s III
and Il ;s dnrrned ' i, . ora.t a aono %eo.
cratic, an ~ srs+ .sa Sa' ~, io"s ..a;,.
With Ettie a. ne r.a,rd NAN ~ o. my u a.
n " '' " "o 'ssa'u " p'ope' us
Postmasters are not required to
study nor pass examinations and
know little or nothing about the dis
patch OF mail for any but the large
Offices, even in their own state and
the inevitable result is much missent
and delayed mail. A line with FIVE
or six local Offices under this system
will demand the use daily of an in
conceivable number of pouches, not
less than from forty to fifty. Another
consideration which will annul even