Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-11
Letters to tie Editor


1lsetlen Judge veless Protest =
Ts TIE Editor o. sAs svs~ixs Pssise Lsdssr:
Slr-Will you DO me--and about tO0O.
other long. suffering election omcsrs-s :,
favor? ~ y
Please ask the County Commission
ers, or the persons responsible tor 70.
csivins the ballot boxes at City hah'
after election, to use their top pieces
and arrange to get the boxes into tne
hall with les delay.
Every time We take them down there
it's the same wait-wait-wait to put
them away. Last Tuesday night tine
line extended from the South broad
street entrance al along the west e'de
Of the hall past Broad Street station
I arrived carly-on purpose-and en-
tered the line Just outside the doorway
Of South Broad street. The line tnen
was only about 150 feet long. but n
took ore hour to 90 that $50 feet. How
long do you suppose the poor fellow:
must have been In, line who entered
It in front Of Broad Street station =
Some Of them must have been tnefe at
least four hours.
1t was perfectly evident why the
delay. All the. boxes were compelled
TO 70 through the neck Of q bottle
down into the basement, where rev
men received them and, taking them
from the two elections omcers who
brought them. dragged them into tne
storage room and recorded the ward and
division. t.
All this army Of thousands OF men
had to wait while these few men dM
the best they could. What IT 1t had
been a rainy night? What mess the
biz envelopes containing the returned
ballots would have been in and what
a destruction Of clothes3
This 10 q serious matter on more
than the mere loss Of time occasioncd
by this needless delay. It 10 serious
because the election judges all over the
city are finding 1t increasingly dtmcult
to get men to act as clerks. Wnere
can you find capable men 1avho WI!
work from Z in the morning until
3 and 4 the next morning. for S01 1t
means two days from their regular
occupation. And in that two days
least SiO-at the rate Of $50 per week.
Last election was an easy one to
o'clock. But the Judge and his mi.
nority inspector who took the boxes
TO CITY Hall-many Of them did not get
away until long after midnight.
II an argument is needed against the
socialistic urge for government owner.
ship. here is one. There were at least
1000 men in that line for two hours.
They represent 1000 hours Of work.
The average pay today is 81 per hour.
The cost Of keeping these men in line,
II union wages were paid By the Coy.
crnment (which they are not) would Be
S2OOO-just to get the boxes in the
hall. This loss does not fall upon the
city, because It pays by the day and
the day ends when the work is done,
even II IL takes two days. 90 the
city is careless and wastes $1,000 Of
other mems time, simply because 1t
does not have to pay for 1t.
But ws election officers feel the ef.
feet when we try to get men the sec.
Ond time to work for us. Lots OF
them try it once. but never again,
and everybody agrees that emciency
il lost when the personnel 10 constantly
changing.
Something must be done at the hail
to save this wasted time. 1t would
seem to be simple matter to allow
the two men who carry the boxes to
take them right to one large room and
deposit them in row with the ballot
envelope Oh top to identify. them as
| al nv~I A{u{o tn
them to walk out without delay. Later
and ut their leisure the hall force
could record them and stow them away.
This method would use the labor Of
the 1000 men who bring the boxes
| in, which labor Is now thrown away
at the meek of the bottle" where a
few men take charge snd stow all the
boxes.
The great gain. however. would be
in the saving Of time Of the 1000 men
| who now have to wait hours upon
hours in line, thing greatly to be
desired.
And will you please ask the County
Commissioners where the sense Is In
sending to a division which is known
to have only 200 registered voters q
package Of 500 ballots? Don't they
know that at least 800 unused ballots
must come back?
There may be a good reason why
there Is delay at the hall in receiving
these boxes; there may be good rea !.
son why 10 many ballots are sent for a
known and limited number Of voters !;
but at all events and in fairness to "the
boys" II such reason exists we should
be told, 10 That we understand. Aud
on the other hand, II no such reason
exists the "bOys'" time should not
be wasted needlessly and the receiving
end should be given some study and
the delay corrected.
A SUFFERING JUDGE.
Philadelphia, November 0. 1922.
Fsars for safety Of "eksexix"
| TO the Editor OF the Evening Public LEDGER:
Sir-I am daily reader Of tie
EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER and find Mr..