Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-18
BIG CHANGES URGED
|NP0STOFF|CE HERE
Congressional Commission Crit
icizes Entire System and Pro.
poses Improvements
TUBES WOULD BE RESTORED

Many changes Of fay.reaching i'm.
portance. including the building OF a
new postofiice, are recommended in a
reorganization plan for the Philadelphia
postal system by the joint congressional
| commission on postal service.
Restoration Of the pneumatic tube
system, the decentralization Of the COL
lection and distribution of mail and
many other changes are advised by the
commission.
The report which includes the recon-.
mendations covers every phase of the
handling Of the Philadelphia mails.
Serious conditions both with reference
to the efficiency with which the mails
are handled here and the welfare of the
employees Of the Postof1ce Department
are revealed by the investigation which
Is the basis Of the report.
Severe criticism is visited upon con-
ditions in the Central Postoffice in the
report. According to the commission
the order for clean and orderly condi.
tons, issued by former Postmaster
in Philadelphia.
Congestion in Every Quarter
Throughout the Philadelphia Of.
fice," the report states, "in almost all
the different departments and in the
stations there is evidence Of a total dis.
regard for these things that the Post
master General held to be important. In
many Of the rooms there are accumu.
lations of old papers, records and books,
most Of which should have been dis
posed Of many months ago as waste.
The commission found congestion in
almost every quarter. In order to meet
the requirements of the service It was
recommended that new postal build
ing of the factory type be procured.
Sixteenth and Eighteenth streets. TO
house the executive offices, including
those of the Postmaster and his staff,
and units of practically all other postal
activities.
"a postofice erected at the site in
dicated would serve the business COM
munity and afford the utmost facility
obtainable in Philadelphia for the quick
transportation Of mails between post.
Office and trains" says the report.
Congestion in the present Central
Postoffice was found to be 80 serious by
the commission that such additional
space as would be afforded by the erec.
ton of postal annex and the extern
sion Of the nezzazinc floor recently con-
structed would not furnish adequate re-
lief. 1t presented plan for decentrnl.
izing the handling Of 1,62S.0 900 pieces
of first class mail in nm ave,ase day by
the development Of distribution centers
Mt the North Philadelphia and West
Philadelphia stations. 1t proposed that
new quarters be obtained for the North
! Philadelphia station upon the expira-
! tiOp pf tho nrpSapf 1oosa m Ia,
!, 1923.
Distribution Changes Proposed
As part of the program for the i'm.
prOvement of the mail service the com.
mission recommended the negotiations
for the restoration of the pneumatic
tube service be begun. Senator Town.
send, of Michigan. chairman Of the
Senate Postofice Committee. said this
recommendation probably would be
carried out IN the next postofice ap.
preparation bill coming before Congress.
In reviewing the methods of collect.
ing and distributing mails, the report
proposes methods by which savings can
! he made and better service obtained.
| The handling of registered mail. the
report said. was not carried on with full
regard to the rules of the department
/ The survey of the method of handling
money orders, the report says. "dis.
closes that much is left to chance. I"
/ The commission recommended important
changes in the cashiers Office and pro
posed reorganization of the directory
Office.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The conclusions and recommenda.
/ tionS of the commission are:
The Philadelphia office Is the third
in rank as to receipts among the cities
of the United States.
The main Office Is overcrOwded, both
in respect to postal activities and to
the various Federal bureaus occupy
ing it.
Satisfactory relief can be found only
in the erection of a new building. 1t
Is recommended that new building be
erected. preferably on Market street be-
tween Sixteenth and Eighteenth streets.
to be utilized for postal purposes ex-
| clusively, this building to be either
owned or rented by the Government.
1t Is recommended to accommodate
other Federal bureaus. many of which
can not now be accommodated in the
Federal Building. that that part of tn"
building which mt present Is hut one
story high bc built up as many stories
The new building or annex should
take the place of the Middle City Sta
tion Of tho Penn Square station. and
of the Twenty second street station,
| the combined rentals Of which are $780,
600 per annum.
The building should be virtually OF
the factory type.
! For temporary relief. the extension Of
the mczzanine floor of the main Office
for postal purposes. recently made. Is
approved. and further extension Of
1t Is recommended
Temporary Building Proposed
For further temporary relief. it is
recommended that temporary building
be erected on the land which is available
at the garage.
As means of relief to the crowded
condition of the general Postoffice, de-
Capitalization Is recommended.
This decentralization would develop
centrals at North Philadelphia and
West Philadelphia.
The delivery division should be
further relieved by the utilization Of
the Second Street Station for num-
Der of carrier assignments.
Both the city delivery and mailing
division would be relieved by the North
Philadelphia and West Philadelphia
developments.
The Inquiry Department should be
relieved by decentralizing the DISPOSE
tion of unbelievable second class mat
ter, this matter TO be retained and
disposed of at the stations.
The condition of locker rooms and