Evening star., 1919-10-07
P.0. 0FF|C|ALSP
T0MEET MAIL RUSH
Division and Bureau Chiefs
Confer; New Counter and
f; Signs Proposed.
WORK STEADILY GROWS

Plans for meeting the Christmas
mail rush and the steadily increasing
volume of mail expected from now on,
were considered at conference of di-
vision and bureau chiefs of the Wash
ington city post Office held today.
William H. Haycock, superintendent
of mails. presided.
Not only is it anticipated by Off
cials that the holiday mail rush will
be the biggest ever in the history OF
the Office, but it was pointed out that
the mail volume is mounting right
along. Despite the end of draft activ-
tiles, with the enormous amount OF
mail sent out by the Office of the pro-
vost marshal general stopped. the
''free maiI sent out from the National
Capital has dropped but little.
The work of the war RISK hx:'Tance
and other bureaus and independeEA es-
tablishments Of the government. to say
nothing of the regular departments,
keeps the city post office flooded with
mail matter that does not increase the
revenues of that Office any, and gives
it a comparative standing among the
post offices of the country which is far
below its rightful place.
Mail Increase Expected.
With the expected league of nations
meeting to be held here this fall, and
the capital-labor conference now in
session, mail out of the city has and
is expected to increase largely. Off
cials handling the city's mail matter
pointed out today that there has been
such a slight decrease in the number
OF war workers" in Washington that
there has been practically no decrease
in the number of letters and parcels
mailed out of the city or sent into it.
n = I&l1 -
been largely instrumental in swelling
the Christmas mail rush here last
year, and they are expected to in
crease the bulk Of mail again the COM
ing holiday season.
The Post Office Department, 1t was
reported. has put its o. X. on the plan
for an enormous parcel post counter
on the workroom floor of the city
post office. This big counter, along
lines radically new in this city. will
be of tremendous aid to the city post
office and a great convenience to the
public in getting parcel post packages
mailed at Christmas time.
The parcel post counter will be
built in a room totally within the pre-
cincts of the workroom floor, where
all the mail going in and out of the
city is handled. There will be direct
entrance from the main corridor to
the parcel post counter. which will
clerks will be stationed. The public
will be prevented from exploring any
more Of the workroom floor.
New Signs Will Aid Patrons.
A new system of electric signs will
be installed in the city post Office
shortly. in preparation for the holiday
season rush. These signs will project
out from the various windows into the
corridor. so that they will be easily
seen by patrons as they come into
either the east or west entrances.
Patrons will be able to see at a glance
just where to go for whatever postal
business they wish to take up, in
stead Of being forced to roam up and
down the corridor. as now, searching
for the right window.
The conferees took up today the
large question Of securing the right
sort of men to handle the Christmas
rush. The labor question has affected
the city post office along with other
businesses. and it has been found in
creasingly difficult to got the proper
sort Of clerical help and labor.