The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-10-03
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-
partment Correspondence and
Threaten to Quit When Called
to Task by Officials.

WashingtOn.-S of the trials OF
the Post Office department with many
of the fourth class postmasters of the
country, who 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, it
appears, have been in part responsible
for the delay In adjusting the $4,000
claims for lost and damaged parcels.
But more than that, they continually
act as If they didn't care rap wheth-
er they held their jobs or not.
Care Little About Jobs.
The trouble is that they really do
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
will and can act as postmasters. Most
often they run small stores, and if
the department in Washington gets
'all bet up" over their failure to an
swer correspondence, the pOstmasters
threaten to give up the post Office
work
That threat usually works." for it
is better to have some sort of post Of
flee than none at all.
why, some of them pay no atten-
ton to us at ALL" said Glover. with
smile of despair Zone of them re-
Gently was asked to fill out a question
naire showing reasons as to this and
that in connection with lost parcel.
Hell, no; hell, yes hell, no; he'll.
yes, was the way he sent the ques-
tionnaire back to u.s." continued Clio
ver with some feeling "Then, he
continued, If you don't like it, take
your post office out of my
store
"This is sample of the thing we
have to put up with" continued the
third assistant postmaster general.
Zone postmaster actually tore out
the partitions used to mark off the
post Office from the rest of his store
and threw them out into the street,
together with all the postal appa-
ratuS.
when the mails arrived the men
on the train saw that they could not
deliver the letters and other matter
to an office out in the street. so re-
fused to let the mail off. Word was
sent to headquarters and inspectors
sent down at once
do you have to put up with that
sort of thing?" Glover was asked.
Many Requests Unanswered.
''There is not much else we can do,
sometimes" he said "Often it be-
comes case Of having a postmaster
like that or none at all. Often they
pay no attention whatever to letters
asking for information, and some of |
them even refuse to send back to mer- |
camille houses packages refused by |
customers in their villages.
"For instance, man asks for SAM
pies of suitings from some big mer
camille house, that is, perhaps, not as
strict In its business ethics as some Of
The houses.
"A sample of a blue cloth, and
sample of brown cloth are sent him.
rom which he selects the blue, and
orders suit of that color. But the
clothing house sends him suits made
rom both colored cloths.
1.-THE customer accepts the blue
uit, but refuses the brown one. And
he postmaster does not take the
rouble either to notify the mercan-
lie house or send the suit back. Then
vhen the house kicks, and begins to
|ood the customer with letters asking
or remittance for the brown suit
90, the customer tears up the letters
nd the postmaster pays no attention
0 letters to him."
Glover said that the department
ad been. able to clear up the $4,000
elayed cases partly because it had
yaived the old rules requiring many
as to the cost Of articles al
eyed to be lost