New-York tribune., 1920-02-17
Letter in 9-Day
Journey Finally
Lands Downtown
Important Missive Posted as
First Glass Matter at the
Flatiron Building Is Basis
of Complaint to Congress

lt tool. nine days for letter mailed
nsths Flatiron Building on February
Ito reach the Woolworth Building.
This is one Of the instances upon which
thb business men Of this city are bas-
int their complaint to Congress through
thS Merchants Association on the inef.
ticasncy of the Post Office Department.
The letter in question was first class
matter of immediate Importance ad-
dressed to the Merchants Association.
The sender, not hearing from the asso-
citation, got in touch by telephone and
the business concerned in the letter
was cleared up several days before the
letter arrived.
II was learned yesterday that spe-
cial committee of the United States
Chamber of Commerce also was inves-
tigating the inefficiency of the Post
Office Department This committee
will render its report WITHIN few days.
Other Mails Delayed
+. B. De Berard. director of research
for the association, said yesterday that
the elimination of railway mail cars
had practically resulted in preventing
maSl from nearby cities being delivered
in the first city delivery. This, he
said, is causing tremendous losses.
The association, he said, receives
daily important matter from Albany
concerning Legislative action. This
always was delivered in the first morn
years had not been delivered before
o'clock in the afternoon and some
times not before a o'clock.
The association has received COM
plant from seventeen merchants who
do business with the cotton mills in
Holyoke, Mass, that they no longer
receive their mail on the first delivery
as in former years.
This necessitates calling the mills up
on the long distance telephone before
the days work can go on. Special de-
livery stamps, it was said, tend to de-
lay deliveries still more. Similar COM
plants had been received from mer-
chants doing business with mills in
New Bedford.
Fault in " ashington
Mr.. De Berard said that in the case
of the letter mailed in the Flatiron
Building a complaint had been lodged
with Postmaster Patten. and the as
SOCldliOH Hdu USeA lulOIHeU tIldt LHc
postmaster had been unable to locate
the cause of delay.
"Mr. Patten is not to blame in the
matter" said Mr.. De Berard. "He does
the best he can under the circum
stances. The trouble lies outside his
jurisdiction. He can do no more than
the postofficc regulations allow"
The association charges that the
morale of the postoffice forces is seri-
ously impaired by the latitude given to
postoffice inspectors, who usurp the au
thority of local postmasters
In another letter to Senator Charles
E. Townsend, chairman of the Senate
Committee on Postoffices, yesterday.
the Merchants Association points out
that $50 postoffice motor trucks in this
city are broken down as result of the
storm. Only 80 per cent of the depart
ment's autos are available for use, 1t
says.
The letter also states 10000 sacks of
mall are piled up at various receiving
stations, and some of this mail has been
delayed eight days. "All of this first
class mail would move without delay if
the pneumatic tube service we're avail
able" the letter concludes.