Evening star., 1918-05-12
POSTAL STATIONS
: FAST DECREASING
Increase of Business and
Scarcity of Clerks Available
Is Said to Be Cause.

Enormous increase III lIc postda
business at contract stations. combined
with the difficulty of getting clerks,
has caused the number of such sta
tions in Washington. usually located
in drug stores. to be reduced from
sixty-seven at the beginning of the
year to fifty-eight at present.
City Postmaster Merritt o. Chance. in
discussing the withdrawal of nine sta
tions in the various parts of the city
since January /, attributed the resiG-
nation by the druggists of their con-
tract stations largely to the fact that it
Is almost impossible to get the neces-
sary clerks.
labor everywhere" Mr.. Chance de-
clared. land the drug stores are no
exception. Although We have lost
these stations recently and have ac-
: cepted the resignations. do not be-
lieve that the postal facilities of the
city are reduced SO much as might
seem. We have established several
new classified stations since the first
of the year, and two of the contract
stations have been changed into classi-
fled stations"
Many of the druggists have resigned
their stations with regret. H. W.
kenner. who April 80 resigned station
No. 81 in his drug store. at 18th and @
streets northwest. had been in charge
OF that station for the past twenty
years. it having been established De-
cember is. 1898. and run continuously
since that time.
Northwest Feels Effect.
ways supplied with the largest number
OF contract stations. has been the hardest
hit. Seven contracts have been given up
in this t.r-itory during the past few
and Q streets. the following contract sta
tions in the northwest section have gone
out of existence: No. 10. in the drug
store OF Chase S. Boston, Dupont
circle; et Nc No H. H. in the drug store
streets: No 35. in the drug store of AL
bert NJ. Conner, 1142 Connecticut avenue
No. AZ, in the drug store OF F. H. Ridg
way, Connecticut and Florida avenues
No So. in the drug store of Ida NJ. Tai
bott. 18th and Irving streets. and No. 70,
in the Christiani drug store, 9Th and
Pennsylvania avenue.
Two Of these stations have been made
classified stations, however, by transferral
to locations in the immediate neighbor-
hood. The contract station at Dupont
circle has been moved to Dupont circle
and made classified station. The con-
tract station at 9Th street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue has been moved to the
T. M. c. A. building across the street and
fs now full-fedged classified station in
charge Of regular employe of the city
post office.
Stations in Northeast.
Tho northeast section of the city has
lost one contract station-that formerly
at 4th and East Capitol street, in the
store Of Adolphus E. Powell. contract
station has been esta blished since that
withdrawal, however, at 18th and East
Capitol streets. in Van Emon's drug store
The southeast section of the city now
mas SIX contract stations. as compared
With eight at the beginning Of the year.
Berkeley. LIST street and North Caro-
lima avenue. and No. 10. in O'DonneIrs
store at Sd street and Pennsylvania
avenue. have been discontinued.
The southwest section of the city,
which had four stations in January, has
that number today. not counting the
station recently established at the
Washington barracks. The latter. how
ever. is not used by the general public.
Similarly. there has been postal eta
tion established at the American Uni
versity. but this is mostly used by
troops.
Officials Admit Decrease.
That there has been falling off in the
number of contract stations city post
officials do not deny. In 1914 there
were as many as seventy-five contract
stations throughout the city.
That number is reduced to fffty-eight
tDudy- ana several OF these, such as the
one at the House of Representatives
and the station at Soldiers Home. are
not really available to the general
public.
One druggist, in giving up his sta
tion. expressed the greatest regret, but
declared that out of justice to himself
h" could not do otherwise. His con-
tract called Cor S7O0 a year. and during
the last year he had spent on the sta
tion more than 31,400. He had been
forced to double the number OF clerks
to handle the mails. which had in
creased exactly 100 per cent over last
year.
And yet this man was willing to keep
the station. post office officials de-
clared. II he could be given 5000
year. The system of contracts runs for
two years. and 1t has been found diff
cult by the Post Office Department to
increase the compensation. In the
past the druggists have found the
postal stations an asset to their busi-
ness. but things are coming to such a
pass now. they say, due to the war.
the increased amount Of work and the
Bsssened labor force available, that
many of them are finding it practically
impossible to keep their stations.