The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-12-06

assistant postmasters general and
the purchasing agent should be like
wise selected.
Mail Volume Greater. A
The volume of mail carried during
the year was greater than ever be-
fore, says the report, in commenting
upon the surplus earned, Which 1t
places at more than double the
greatest profit ever found by the de-
partment previously. War activity
in private business not alone grew,
but the government itself put a
tremendous burden of matter into
the mails from the new efforts which
1t built up. Postmasters and post
office facilities alike were used for
war service that ranged from the
registration, of aliens to the sale of
thrift stamps and government bonds
Among new facilities the report
asks is an appropriation Of 81, SOC, 900
for the construction Of a. subway be-
tween the Grand Central station in
New York and the Pennsylvania
terminal office, replacing the dis
carded system of pneumatic tubes,
and devised to relieve congestion
Authority is also asked for the es-
Establishment OF guaranty fund
within the department, with which
to bond employees handling money
and valuables. This is advocated to
relieve premium charges which are
said by the report to be excessive,
and also to eliminate delay and diff
flculty.
Delay in Soldier Mail.
! Dealing with complaint of delays
in mail for soldiers in France, both
before and after the mail service was
taken over by the army, Mr.. Burlo-
sons report says that much Of 1t was
due to the handling of mail by order
lies In military service.
~ Perhaps the most serious OF these
delays arose from the attitude Of the
military authorities" it says, who
declined to reveal to civilian postal
organi zation the whereabouts of
military units, in many cases until
their location had been discovered by
the enemy. There was also a good
deal Of trouble in obtaining motor
transport, and at one time the mill
tary authorities undertook to take
from the postal stations the small
details Of enlisted men who were
assisting in the work on the ground
that they were needed for purely
military service" rel. ~
In the United States. 1913 branch
postoffices were established at
camps and environments to deliver
mail to the troops. Censorship
boards were established at nearly all
ports of exit from the United States,
in connection with military opera
tons, and 1900 employees were en-
gagged in scensoring approximately
$4,000 pieces of mail daily during
most of the period covered by the
report.
The Aerial Service.
A very wide extension OF the aerial
mail service has been planned, the
report indicates and outlines are
given for four routes, two OF which
extend outside the United States.
The trunk line and feeders de-
cided upon for the aerial mail" the
postmaster general says, after de-
scribing experimental operation be-
tween Washington, New York and
Philadelphia, under the present
program are:
81. New York to San Francisco,
with feeders from (a) Chicago to st,
Louis and Kansas City. OBJ Chicago
to st. Paul and Minneapolis. (c)
Cleveland to Pittsburgh.
"2. Boston to Key West, with
feeders from (a) Philadelphia to Pit
tsburgh. (b) Washington to Gin
cinnati. (c) Atlanta to New Orleans.
%. Key West, via Havana to
Panama
e. Key West, via the West Indies,
to South America"
Big Benefits Seen.
1.-THE postoffice department only
awaits the day when the aircraft
production of this country can more
than supply the needs of our own
army and those OF our allies to
make effective the program for aerial
mail that I have directed to be put
into operation as speedily as the war
conditions will permit" Mr.. Burle-
son continues He points out that
planes for the overseas service de-
ctded upon must be powerful, fitted
with wireless, and Of special con-
struction, and declares that the com
mercial advantage resulting from the
expected reduction In the ti:ns OF
communication between South and
Central America will Justify the ex-
.pense.
Discussing the rural truck lines,
and the expected requirement by the
department of many hundreds of
war trucks, the report says that the
commercial and economic advantage
Of the service are evident, and its
extension desirable. The transmits
sion OF food products from farms to
urban centers is particularly facili-
tated by the motorized parcels post
lines.
Due to enIistments, and high
wages in outside service, 9,07S pos
tai employees left government en-
ployment during the year, the re-
port says, necessitating extra Efforts
in training substitutes. or the mum
Der leaving the service 1898 resigned
for other employment or 12.4 per