The Washington herald., 1921-10-12
POSTAL WORKERS
IN 4CONVENTIO&
CHEER Will HAYS
Duty of Serving Public
Urged by Postmaster
General.

LlhSnlnS All CldSscS VI pOsNHldS-
ters to field officers in an army
Postmaster General Hays drew en-
thusiastic applause from all four
conventions of postal workers, from
first class postmasters to rural let
ter carriers. when he spoke before
them yesterday afternoon.
Postmasters and letter carriers
were urged TO make efforts to get
the public to visualize the enormous
size of the postal service, and the
tremendous detail which is entailed
in the delivery of each letter.
This is the biggest business in
the country" declared the Postmss.
ter General I'VE have a turnover
of $4,000. 0oe, ,0eo. We have expenses
Of $500, 600 Zoo: We have 70 handle
LOO. 600 letters every hour of the
day and night, Sundays and holi-
days. never stopping, always keen
ing the mail on the move. To do
this we have an army twice as big
ployes number $4,000. We sell
$4,000, 100000 stamps in a year.
Duty of Postmaster.
Each postmaster is the link be-
tween the people in his community
and the general service. II is his
duty not only to handle the affairs
Of the Office but also to meet the
business men, the civic organiZa-
tions and others. to get ideas of
how the service may be improved.
He represents the biggest business
in the community. and it must con-
tinue to grow according to the ef-
forts of the individuals who make
up the entire machine"
Mr.. Hays stressed the point of
humauizing the postal service, He
pointed out the difference in the
morale of one army Of letter car
riers who simply threw letters on
the porches. and another army who
either delivered them to some per
son in the house or put them in
private letter box.
Given Fruit and Grape Juice.
Mr.. Hays and his four assistants
had a busy afternoon. They spoke
at the convention of First and Sec
ond Glass Postmasters in the Ma
tional Museum, then to the National
League OF Postmasters. comprising
those in the third and fourth classes,
at the Postoffice Building auditor
ium, then to the National Associa-
ton of Supervisory Postoffice EN-
ployes at the Interior Department
auditorium and finally to the Ma
tional Rural Letter Carriers Asso-
citation, meeting at the Washington
Hotel. AZ the latter meeting J. H
Randall, of Santa Paula, Cal, pre-.
| sented a basket of fruit and CALI
fornia grape juice to Mr.. Hays with
the compliments of the rural car
riers Of the State.
At the afternoon meeting OF the
Postmasters Association. Joel c
Clore of Cincinnati, gave an ad'
dress on Central Accounting
system" which is now in general
use throughout the nation; Tni'
has subdivided the work and made
| II possible to speed up the service
he said.
settles Claims speedily.
He cited the settlement of parcel
post insurance claims as one ex'
cellent example of the new time
speed, stating that whereas II was
not uncommon under the old sys'
tenn to wait a year for insurance
Iadjustments, the department wal
now settling claims in from thirt,
to sixty days.
Postmaster George w. Lathrop
of Toledo, spoke on the special de
livery and some of the dtmculte'
Involved in the satisfactory hand
i ling of the final link of the chain
the boys who actually deliver tn
letters.
| Commissioner James +. Oystel
explained the situation, Of "voteles'
Washington" to the postmaster o
the larger cities in the morning
session. He asked the assistance o
the postmasters in helping secur'
i Representation in Congress for tn
District
REPRESENTATIVES Lucien W. Par
IRISH, of Texas, and Halvor Steener
son, of Minnesota, spoke before th'
third and fourth class postmaster
They were followed by Gilbert Z
Hyatt, president of the Nationa
Federation of Postoffice Clerks, an
lC. p. Franciscus, president Of tn
4 United National Association o
Postofice Clerks. The latter ais
spoke before the first and secon'
class postmasters, as did Repre-
sentative Parrish. The last speecl
was made by w. B. Cantrell. presi
dent Of the National Letters AS
ISOLATION. The meeting sdjourne'
after discussion involving tn
| - Coaf{nNed on PAGE Ei0ht.