Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-08-14

SXsGxIBs4 airplane and four automobiles nitro
glycerine dynamite saWed-of shot
guns and automatic pistols but also gas masks and
gas bombs So ten a dozen robbers had an
easy time in holding up the so mail clerks on
solid mail and express train on the st. Paul and
getting away with registered mail containing two
millions or So 1t the gas bombs and gas
masks that did the business.
To be sure, Uncle Sam has caught most OF the
robbers and got back most of the money, but sucn
things make lots of trouble. And Uncle Sam has
plenty of mail troubles as it is.
Just look at the size of his mail business. He's
got something like 10000 post offces-and more
being established every day of the year, except
Sundays and legal holidays: There are netrly
$4,000 workers in the Post Office department and
they handle $4,000 100000 every year. And Uncle
SAM not being in the business to make money mas
all kinds of trouble in making both ends meet. IN
the fiscal year of 1923, rsexample, it cost him
over $55000000O and he took in only about $532,-
100000
And think of the things he has to attend to-
stamps and envelopes; newspaper wrappers and
postal cards; money ORDERS foreign and domestic;
postal savings banks; first, second and thrd-class
matter and parcel post; airpane, railway, carrier
and rural route service and on. Why, Post
master General New has just been receiving bids
for 11,OOO,OOOOOO stamped envelopes and neWspa-
per wrappers. The postal savings banks have
about $15O,OOOOOO to the credit Of depositors
There are $4,000 rural routes and more than 10000
star mail routes, the latter involving an aggregate
annual travel by automobile and wagon of 85,O0O,-
600 miles. Little things like these give hint of
some Of Uncle Sans mail troubles.
thing that keeps Uncle Sam on the jump every
minute in his mail business is increase In pop
ulation. That was from about 92,OOO,0O0 to lO6,-
100000 in the ten years, $4,000. And an esti-
mate by the census bureau puts cur population on
July l. 1924, at .112078,611, an increase of about
III IN,
restricted immigration This means more towns,
more post offices, more letters-more everything.
This new estimate of the population also shows
that there are 70 cities having population
of 100000 or more, as compared with 6S last year.
This means that Uncle Sam is hard put to it to
keep up with the procession in the large cities
His post office facilities have way of becoming
inadequate over night. Here's an Illustration
Years ago he built the great federal building IN
Chicago, occupying whole block in the loop. II
was to be the last word in post oftices-and the
massive pile was out of date before it was COM
pleted In other words, ChicagC's mail business
grew faster than Uncle Sam built. Congressman
Britten of Illinois will introduce bill at the next
session of congress to sell the building and site
for approximately $22,O0O0OO and use the money
for two modern post offices, one on the South
side and one on the West side.
Another thing that keeps Uncle Sam awake
nights is the incessant, ever-increasing demand
for speed and more speed Time is money says
the adage; 1t comes pretty near being literally
true in the malls. The experts have calculated
that the new transcontinental air mail service
saves anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 day. rep
resenting interest money transported across
the country. Congressman NJ Clyde Kelly OF
Pennsylvania goes far to hold that the serv-
ice by saving three days, increases our available
cash reserve by $15OO00,000 each day. He is there
fore sponsoring bill in congress greatly increas-
ing It's scope. In the meantime requests for air
mail service are pouring in on Second Assistant
Postmaster General Henderson for air service
Even Alaska wants It,
It is no wonder that the Chicago post office was
cut of date before finished AS the railroads sup
planted the stage and pony express in the trans
portation of the mails, Chicago-because it soon
came TO be the railroad center of the country
come to be the mail center. Through 1t now
moves the mightiest mass of mail matter that Is
centralized anywhere earth.
Mail operations quickly outgrew facilities The
situation got so bad in 1919 that committee OF
the railway mail service made thorough study
of the operations at Chicago. AS result OF this
study, the necessary facilities were figured out
and q comprehensive scheme of terminal opera
ton was adopted. The plan called for site con-
veniently located for both railway mail cars and
auto trucks; building of adequate dimensions
and design In which to handle the mail econom1-
calIy; and an extensive application of mechanical
apparatus