Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-14
HOPE FOR THE POSTAL SERVICE

Complaint about postal conditions in this
city is fully JUSTIFIED. With the end of Burle-
sonism but a week or two of. however, there is
nope for an improvement before very long. Tn
der Burleson the main object of the post Office
department was TO save money and pile up a
surplus regardless of the kind of service rem
dered. Anybody can save money by always
taking it in and never spending any. That has
been the policy of the Burleson administration
The complaint the EVENING NEWS pub
lished on Friday about the conditions of the
letter boxes throughout the city is an old one.
The boxes have been going from bad to worse
for years without the slightest effort being
made to repair or replace those that have be-
come worn out. They have simply been al
lowed to deteriorate until they have literally
fallen apart.
The fault lies much higher up than the local
post office. Every postmaster is naturally in
torested in his home town. He wants to give
the people all the accommodations he can get
for them. But he gets little consideration from
those over him. They are interested only in
what the Office can take in. The matter of
service has been forgotten under Burleson.
1t is not going to do any good to complain to
Washington at the present time. Once the new
administration is established. however, a deter
mined drive ought to be made for real mail
service in Perth Amboy. The letter boxes
should not only be replaced, but there ought
10 be a great many additional ones installed.
The city has grown enormously but the post
office department has not pretended to keep
abreast with it.
Deliveries ought to be more numerous. es-
pecially in the business section of the city. The
boxes should have the hours OF collection
placed upon them. The post Office building
ought to be put in repair so as to have 1t fit for
decent people to work in and do business in
The exterior ought to be made more present.
able and more in keeping with the dignity and
standing of the government which 1t represents.
Inside, We understand, working conditions
are such as would not for an instant be
tolerated in a private concern by the factory
The state pays nen to go about
seeing to it that the working man is properly
provided for in the matter of decent quarters
% work in, sanitary conditions. etc. The gov
srnment, however. can get away with anything
n the matter of handling the mails Even the
cellar is being used at the local post Office to
handle the surplus mails.
One of the great troubles is, the employees OF
he post office department dare not complain.
hey are treated like a lot of slaves. Nothing
done for their welfare and If they dare
peak to a congressman or present a petition
.etting forth their conditions they are dis
charged for INSTRUMENTATION.
There is hope for a change for the better I'M
Ter the new administration. The Burleson
regime in the post office department during the
present Democratic administration has done
more to discredit President Wilson than any
other single feature in connection with the gov
srnment. Never have the mails been in such
ieplorable condition. By disseminating thou
lands of mail trains and piling up mail in ter
ninals. long delays occur that have been of the
greatest deteriment TO business. Enormous
iavings have been brought about and Burle-
on's heart has been made glad by the surplus
he has been able to show in his reports. but
he mail service of the country has gone to poi.
The letter boxes through this city are a fair
ample of the whole system.
Here's hoping for better things in the near
future.