Evening star., 1942-08-06
Woshington's War Boom Mail
EcIipses YuIe Season Peaks
Post Office Stoff Losses to Army Heavy,
But Young Men Get Job Preference

run accounting machines and do
bookkeeping.
The tremendous increase in busi-
ness here is due not only to the
arrival of Government workers by
the many thousands, but to the
big rise in official mail as depart
ments and bureaus have expanded.
Franked mail leads. But this is not
due to the much discussed use Of the
free mail privilege by members of
Congress. Mail of Congress is only
a small portion Of the truckloads OF
official letters that roll back and
forth every day. Most OF it comes
from Government of1ices.
outgoing letter-size mail filtering
through the City Post once and its
branches runs to something like 49,
0OO, 600 pieces q month-an increase
Of rs per cent over the average when
Washington was smaller, more
tranquil town, in 1899.
Since most people take the mails,
like the lights and the telephone,
for granted. as an inherent right
which should perform like sunrise
and sunset, they probably don't
know that IS per cent OF their letters
are processed and put on trains at
night. While they sleep, the largest
force of the a. hours tolls through
the stacks Of their letters. A cogent
reason for this is that more letters
are mailed late in the day than at
any other time.
Delays In Trains, Planes.
While the mailed material has
gone out and arrived on normal
schedules-thati is, under the same
postal routine prevailing In less
frenzied days-some delays have
been inevitable because trains often
are late these days, due to war
factors. Air mail Is less certain Of
prompt delivery because many lines
have been forced to curtail their
service. On long hauls, however.
there usually are sufficient planes
to assure speedy arrival.
The congestion Is most noticeable
In post ofice lobbies, where at Ger
tain hours patrons wait In line for
stamps. On Government pay days
there are long queues at the money
order windows, for many Govern
ment workers do not have checking
accounts and use the post ONCE
to send money home and pay bills.
More than 100000 money orders
. month, with value Of S. 900 900,
are being issued.
Washington has one Of the few
post ofnces in the country where
postal receipts have shown . large
increase. Postal receipts are the
revenue from the sale Of stamps,
post cards and stamped envelopes
They do not include money orders.
The postal receipts here increased
from $527 900 in July, 1898, to $780,
600 In July; 1912. ~.
Parcel Post Increases.
In most cities the parcel post
business has fallen oil because Ger
tain commodities have become scarce
or unobtainable. But here this
trade has increased because OF the
big jump in population.
These are other effects of the war
on the post ONCE:
In two years, incoming mail has
increased close to so per cent and
outgoing mail 36 per cent.
Outbound during June, 194l. there
were $4,000 pouches of letters and
other first-class mail, and IN June
1912, the total was ST 900.
The outgoing business In sacks
containing other classes of mail
| amounted to 10000 in June. 194l
and 642 900 in June, 1912. During
July of last year, these sacks num-
bered 460, 900 and in the same month
this year $50 600.
The special delivery business went
up A per cent in year and the
trade In registered letters increased
rs per cent.
Three years ago the post office
operated about 160 trucks a day
Today the number averages 240.
Takes Over Departmental Mail.
On July /, 1910, the post offlce
took over the job of picking up ano
delivering ofncial mail for all Gov
ernment departments. Before that
each department had its own serv.
ice. Around go trucks a day haul q
tonnage of about $50 to and from
Federal buildings. This system !.
considered much more efncient thar
the old plan.
Within Is months the post Office
has extended to fast-expandint
Washington new carrier and pickup
services amounting to from Is to /,
per cent of the total load. These
services have gone to outlying sec.
tions.
The nearby Maryland communi.
ties OF Chevy Chase, Bethesda ane
Takoma Park are included in the
city postal service.
1t was necessary in 1941 to oper
the, new branch post ofhces, o,
Friendship Station on Wisconsin
avenue and Columbia Heights IL
the 400 block OF Irving stree
NV. The Anacostia and BenningI
branches we're enlarged.