The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-27
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
NFORM ALTON
Blu IRE AU
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. Director.
Washinstca, D. C.
SUGGESTIONS WANTED By POS.
TAI SERVICE.


ments would you suggest?
The United States postoffice depart !,
ment, which has come in for a good |
many knocks and some boosts during |
the past few troublous years, addressed
the equivalent of these questions to
large representative assortment of
business men. 1t got over twelve thou-
sand replies.
This was the one big chance for
Americans who have been thinking,
either silently or aloud, unpleasant
things about the postal service. 1t
was the golden opportunity for the
man who greets a delayed letter or
mangled parcel with What postal
system!" uttered in tones of disgust
and anguish. A few fluent penmen
did recall these wrongs, and set forth
in concise yet artistic language their
exact feelings on such occasions as
well as they could remember them.
But those eager for revenge were
far in the minority. Probably few of
the writers have been exempt from the
ill luck of having a peace of mail side
tracked somewhere in the mazes OF
the postal system. Most of them gem
erously overlooked these mishaps,
doubtless because they realized that
for one letter delivered late, thou
sand are delivered on schedule time.
Nobody has catalogued the enor-
nous stacks Of answers received by
the postoffice department, in answer
to its request for opinions. If the let
ters were assorted according to con-
tent. nearly two-thirds of the twelve
thousand could be put in one big pile.
All these say the same thing with I'M
important variations: THE postal
service is satisfactory. We have no
suggestions to make" The other
group of about one-third of the col
lection would contain complaints and
suggestions for improvement.
The one demand repeated in all
shades of Typewriter ink is for better
postoffice buildings. "Our postoffice
was built for a $4,000 population town.
Our population is now 10000" "Our
postoffice accommodations are a com
Portable as a suit>of clothes three sizes
| too small. I have to get in line on the
front steps every time 1 buy a stamp"
In such terms and in unpicturesque
business parlance the writers manage
to make it clear that postoffice of
adequate size is an important neces-
| sity. The man who says, TOO much
money is wasted on postal accommo-
| dations; a town of $500 has no need
| for postal delivery is in a minority so
small as to be almost noneXiStent. The
better the postal conditions the more
| ra pid the growth of the town is the
verdict of hundreds who urge progress
| in mail service for their localities.
A rather popular suggestion for inn
provement is a return of the 2-cent
| stamp for general letter mail. Over
| this matter the postoffice department
has no control. The Scent stamp for
| letters was a war measure with the
\ extra cent as d tax. 1t was instituted
by the treasury department. The new
| revenue law provides for a return to
| the pre-war postage rate.
| Now and again in the letters to the de-
partment some vitriolic temperament
| launches bomb such as, Compared
| with the railway and telegraph situa=
| tions, the postal service is fine" or the
from a city of proportions. 81 wish
to inform you that we have no postal
| service.'',
The overseas service comes in for its
| share of blame and defence in the
batch of suggestions. One man thinks
that somebody who is responsible for
soldiers mail ought to be taken out
and shot. Another calls in his stenog-
| rapher to commend the overseas mail
service as the best possible in time
of war"
| AS opinions of intelligent represen-
tative citizens. the collection of re-
! sponses is as a whole an overwhelm-
ing endorsement of the postal system.
The postoffice department asked for
a frank opinion and suggestions, and
thousands of men would not have an
swered with unqualified praise as they
did if their mail service was grossly in
efficient
But as suggestions the letters are
disappointing. Either the business
man knows too little about the inside
machinery of his postal system, to
make real suggestions for changes. or
he has no time to think up improve
ments- Such few suggestions as are
made are mostly practical and will be
given due consideration.
War has only slightly weakened the
efficiency of the mail service. The
draft and the railway situation have
of necessity affected it somewhat j.
c. Rooms, first assistant postmaster
general. says regarding the wartime
post, Notwithstanding the extraordi-
nary conditions prevailing during the
war, the department has attempted to
| do that which no other country at war
, has undertaken, namely: to conduct
the postal service without curtailment
or restriction of facilities or conven-
fences to the public, and at the same
time to perform the numerous addi-
tional activities imposed upon it.
| Discounting a not very serious labor
shortage, the main reason for delays
: in mail service has been the condition
of the railways 1t was imperative
that war freight and troops should
have the right of way on the railways
| and the transportation demands of wal
have been tremendous It has beer
, necessary to cut down the number OF
trains for general use, which has. OF
course 1essened the number of mai
} deliveries at a postoffice. Until at
fairs have settled down into norma
channels wholesale changes in these
matters cannot be considered.
f The United States citizen has re-
garded slower mail service as an at
Fiction of war to be borne with pa
triotiSm. 1t has been unpatriotic tC
lose ones temper over missing posta
3 card. The posfoffice department i:
. duly appreciative of the public's war
. time attitude toward the daily mail.
In order to regain its old-time higf
speed and reliability the department
S is trying to locate the snags and veal
spots in the system as it now stands
1t asked the advice of business mel