New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-09
Merchants Ask
Probe Into Delay
Of Local Mails
Growth of Parcel Post Said
to Interfere With First
Class Deliveries

( Last springs agitation over Post
master General Burleson's recon-
mendation to abolish the pneumatic
mail tubes in New York and other
cities has been brought to public at
tenton again by the announcement
that the government, beginning Janu-
airy 1. is going to operate its own mail
trucks throughout the city.
When the announcement was made
Friday through official channels it was
taken to indicate the first move of
general plan TO deliver all mail by
motor truck delivery instead of through
the tubes. Credence to this opinion
was given when it was discovered the
Postoffice Department has bought loO
powerful motor trucks and has estab-
iished a government garage in west
Thirty-seventh street with floor
space Of $4,000 feet.
Inquiry into this phase or the mat
ter developed that while the substitu-
tion of government owned vehicles Tor
mail deliveries, replacing Contractors
who have had this business for years
has no direct bearing on the mail tube
question. the mail situation here is
in serious state and demands imme-
date Investigation. First class mail
deliveries, according to executives Oh
tbe Merchants Association, are Delhg
held up several hours a day and second
class mail is being detained indefinitely
Change at Bad Time
7. WAS contended yesterday by mem
hers of the association that any limo
votions or experiments in the delivery
of nails bv the government came AT an
IN advised time. The association,
af+or receiving numerous complaints,
wrote 10 the American Bankers Asso-
citation in part as follows;
"We have recently had numerous
.oronIaints as to the frequency ana
growing delay in the movement Oh hIsI
class mails. The delay appears 70 DC
due 10 the changes made by the FoS'
$50 Department as an outgroWth VI
tho cxpansion of the parcel post ser
vice. IL so,.,,orl,,
received in this city and distributed oy
tho FIRST carriers deliveries are nov
frequently not distributed and received
80 tbe addressee until some hours
later. By reason Of the removal from
the service of many hundred raii"ay
nostal cars, prompt movement Oh the
lille throughout the country has beeh
materially interfered with. Mails whlch
fornerlv went through without inter-
runtion by closely connecting trains
are at least in some instances, delayeu
At transfer points Tor redlst1ouVion
and rerouting. Because Of this delay
deairable train connections are missed
snd the mails moved by slower trans
so that the aggregate OF time iost ~
tSo case of mails intended for distant
parts is very material.
Ask Bankers to Help
"We are therefore writing TO ask II
tho American Bankers Association VIII
aid as in the investigation by sendlhg
srch a letter Of inquiry 10 the prlh-
cinal banks throughout the country
IKE inquiry should not be restricted 20
bsnks solely in the large cities, put
sbould comprise at least considerable
nortion Of banks in smaller cities, IN
prder that the entire area of the coun-
try may be properly represented IN the
frederick De Berard, of the Mer-
ch.nts' Association, said yesterday That
mail conditions not only IN New YORK
but throughout the country were IN
state of decentralization. He said thaL
il was generally believed that one OF
the reasons was that Postmaster Gen
oral Burleson, in order TO maintain the
marcel post service, one OF the Ad-
illustrations pet hobbies, had been
forced TO economic in other matters IN
the Postoffice Department because the
parcel post business had outgrown Its
present facilities.
Mr.. De Berard did not think that the
recent acquisition by the Postolhee Of
its own system of motor trucks for
mail delivery was any forerunner Of
the end of the tube system.