The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-05-02
SERVING THE PUBLIC

In order to keep the cogs from slipping, Post
master-Cenera Hubert Work has instituted what
is known as Postal improvement Week, the six
days being the SIX week days of this present week.
In spoken message delivered in the postofhce de-
partment's radio room in Washington and broad
casted throughout the country, the head of the
greatest public service organization in the world
asks for the cooperation of the one hundred mil
lion stockholders in Uncle Sans mail system to the
end that there shall be better understanding of
the aims Of the department in rendering acceptable
service to all the people. Few realize the import
ance of the task assigned those entrusted with this
branch of governmental activity. Through the post
Office the government comes into intimate touch with
every individual, accepting for delivery to any part
of the world all articles admitted to the mails and
delivering to the individual postal matter received
from every country on the face of the globe. hat
is a herculean task we'll performed Of course
there are mperfections and limitations because
those operating the service are human but
rule the country at large has nothing but words OF
praise for the postal department. If the average
citizen could spend but one day in the Of the
pos.ofice boxes and see for himself or herself the
operation of The handling Of the mails there would
be room for astonishment at the thorough system
followed. The wonder is that SO few mistakes
made We hold the postofiice officials to strict
accountability for the proper dispatch and receipt
of the mails failing 10 realize that the individual
also has responsibility in the proper addressing of
d al: IL H. ,.iU
reveal an appalling amount of ignorance on the
part cf the public in the observance of even the
most rudimentary rules of the mails. In the send
ing of parcel post packages the return address re-
ouired by the regulations is often omitted. lllegibe
handwriting causes postal clerks end of trou-
bic while frequently insufficient addresses make it
impossible to send mail matter to any other place
than the dead letter Office. Another chrome bad
habit among business concerns is to postpone send
ing the days output of mail to the postoflce until
the time for closing the mail pouches has arrived.
This entails needless work on the part of posofce
clerks and often times results in delay in the sending
out Of letters and packages. There is another side
to this matter of mail dispatch that is often COM
planned of by business men and that is the SEEM
inaly long time between the hour fixed for the
closing of the mails and the time of departure OF
mail trains. We knew Of one city in Florida where
the mails are transported from the postofice to
the railway station in FIVE minutes yet The closing
hour for the mail on that particular outgoing train
is one hour But in all these matters there can be
exercised a spirit of cooperation that will, it put
into practice, overcome all complaints and make
for increased efficiency in the postal service. A
word of praise for Lakeland's postofice staff will
not be out of place. Postmaster Cresap and his
assistants always show disposition to be accom-
modating. remembering that they the servants
of the public and chosen for the positions they hold
by reason of fitness and experience.