The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1921-10-07
ADD TO WOES OF
POSTAL CHIEFS
Minor Post Offices Cause Trouble
for Department by Slack
ness of Methods.
DON'T TAKE JOB SERIOUSLY
Postmasters Refuse TO Answer De-
psrtment Correspondence and
Threaten to Quit When Called
to Task by Officials.

WashingtOn.-SOme of the trials of
the Post Office department with many
of the fourth class postmasters of the
country, VINO refuse to answer official
correspondence, and who otherwise
conduct themselves In a perhaps too
high-handed fashion, are revealed by
w. Irving Glover, third assistant post
master general.
Those fourth class poStmasterS, II
appears, have been I'm part responsible
for the delay In adjusting the $4,000
claims for lost and damaged parcels.
But more than that. they continually
act as IL they didn't care rap wheth-
er they held their jobs or not.
Care Little About Jobs.
The trouble is that they really 10
not, Glover intimated. and they often
tell the department officials as much
In Just about that many words. They
are under civil service. and often they
are the only men In their towns who
will and can act as postmasters Most
often they run small stores. and II
the department In Washington gets
.'all .het up over their failure TO an
swer correspondence. the postmasters
work.
That threat usually works" for IL
is better TO have some sort OF post Of
flee than none at all
"Why. some Of them pay no atten-
tiOn to us at all" said Glover. with a
smile OF despair. 'One of them re-
Gently was asked tO fill out question
naire showing reasons as 10 this and
that In connection with lost parcel.
Hell, no: he'll. yes: hell. no; hell
yes was the way he sent the ques-
tlOnnaire back To us" continued Clio
yer. with some feeling Then. H.
continued, if you don't like it. take
your post office out OF my
store
This is sample OF the thing we
have 10 put up with" continued the
third assistant postmaster general
lone postmaster actually tore out
the partitions used To mark of the
post office from the rest Of his stOr,
and threw them out into the street
together with all the postal appa
ratus.
when the malls arrived the mer
on the train saw that they could no
deliver the letters and other matter
TO an office out I'm the street. so re-
fused 10 let the mall of Word was
sent TO headquarters and inspectors
sent down at once.
do you have to put up with tina
sort OF thing?" Glover was asked.
Many Requests Unanswered.
There Is not much else We can do
sometimes" he said "Often IL be
comes a case Of having a pOstmastel
like that or none at all. Often the,
pay no attention whatever 10 letter
asking for information. and some o
them even refuse tO send back 20 mer
camille houses packages refused b.
customers in their villages.
"For instance. a man asks for sam
Piles OF sultinEs from some biz mer
cantile house, that Is. perhaps not a
strict In It's business ethics as some q
the houses.
"A sample OF q blue cloth. and ;
sample of brown cloth are sent him
from which he selects the blue. an'
orders suit Of that color But III
clothing house sends him suits mad,
from both cOlOred cloths.
THE customer accepts the blu
suit. but refuses the brown one An'
the postmaster does not take IN,
trouble either 10 notify the mercan
tile house or send the suit hack. TheI
when the house kicks. and begins q
food the customer with letters askini
for remittance for the brown suit
too. the customer tears up the letter
and the postmaster pays no attention
10 letters 10 him
Glover said that the departmen
had been able tO clear up the 5000
DELAYED cases partly because II ha'
waived the old rules requiring man.
afidsylts as to the cost OF articles Al
legged 10 be lost.