Evening star., 1921-04-18
NEW MAA..SERV|CE
DECLARED SUCCESS
Postmaster: Chance Confers
to Further Improve "Quick
Collection" System.

Postmaster Chance called into special
conference today the supervisory officials
of the Washington city post office to
devise ways and means for speeding up
the transmission of letters collected
from the chain of quick collection
boxes on Pennsylvania avenue and F
street, ..a -:
More than $4,000 letters collected from
the twenty-four boxes of the quick
collection loop. Saturday led the postal
officials to realize that the business men
of Washington We're quick to take adj
vantage of the rapid collections offered:
Already the letters collected from the
chain of boxes every fifty minutes re-
ceive special handling at the city post
Office. and special quick cancellation,
but the postmaster wants to better this,
if possible. and so called into confer
ence the supervisory officials.
New Routes Considered.
The question of establishing similar
routes on 7th street from Pennsyl-
vania avenue to X street. as request
ed by the Merchants and Manufac-
turers' Association, and perhaps a
route on 1ith street, was being con-
sidered by the post office today.
The problems connected with the
establishment of such quick collec-
llOn routes are not KNOWN Ine
average person, but, on the other
hand, the postal officials realize that
what the man on the street. is in
terested in is getting his letters to
their destinations as quickly as pos
sible. Therefore the post office Off
cials want to speed up the transit Of
the letters at every point 1t is be-
lieved that advantage may be taken
of several points to hustle the let
ters along. either to trains for out
of-town delivery or into the hands of
carriers for local delivery.
That every advantage is being taken
by local business men of the oppor-
tunity for early mailing. in line. with
the request of the Postmaster Cen
era.l. backed in this city by the local
postmaster, was evidenced by the
mailings Saturday in the quick COL
lection" boxes.
Heavy Collections.
The collector arrived at the city
post office at 2:4S pm. Saturday with
more than 1900 letters. a tremendous
number to be collected from twenty
four boxes on one trip. This indi-
Gated, according to postal officials,
that the business men are mailing
early" and mailing often
The collection that arrived at the
post office at 12:45 o'clock Saturday
afternoon contained more than 1000
letters. OF the total number of let
ters collected from the special boxes
10.15S were put aboard mail trains
for out-of-town delivery. 1927 were
for city delivery and sixty-five were
special delivery letters. One thou
sand two hundred and fifty-eight let
ters were received in time for local
delivery the same day.
At present the last collection which
the special collector on the quick COL
lection" route can bring to the post
Office in time to allow the letters to
be delivered locally is the collection
which reaches the office at $50 pm.
Early Mailing Favored.
1t is ths hope of officials that as
many letters as possible which are
intended for local delivery be mailed
as early in the morning as possible.
In the meantime, methods may be de-
vised to hustle the letters along so
that a later collection may arrive in
time.
Postmaster Chance expressed him
self as highly pleased with the ready
response of business men and others
to his local appeal to mail early
mail often" He pointed out today
that 31.36 per cent of the total mail
received by the Washington city post
office last Friday was handled be-
tw cen am and 4 pm, as contrasted
with but 26 per cent of the total Of
the day one week previous which
was handled between the hours named.
This means, the postmaster said,
that the people in general, including
men and others, are seriously trying
to get their letters into the mails as
early each day as possible.