Evening star., 1950-04-21
Mail Deliveries Cut
Order Could Cause
Resentment at Polls
Donaldson Simply Trying
To Lower Expenses os
Ordered by Congress
By Davd Laurence

order Of the Post Ofice Depart
ment rearranging mail deliveries
for the Nation has in 1t the seeds
of resentment at the polls. par
ticularly in a congressional cleo
ton.
Yet Postmaster General Donald
son, who has never been in politics
but who worked in the post Office
even before the day AZ years ago
when he became letter carrier,
Is simply trying to straighten out
a problem Of cutting expenses as
ordered by Congress.
Again and again people on the
outside insist that the Post Office
Department isn't run on a busi-
nesSlike basis, and Mr.. Donaldson
will be the first to agree If by this
Is meant that he has little to say
about what shall be spent for SAL
aries and wages and little to say
what prices shall be for transport
ing and delivering the commodity
which he handles.
Congress loads on the depart
ment all sorts of laws fixing what
payments shall be made and what
preferences shall be given, and
Congress also furnishes subsidies
to certain kinds of transportation
and certain kinds of mail.
Half Billion Annual Deficit.
Basically, the Post Office De-
partment has an annual deficit of
around half a billion dollars. Shall
1t be overcome by increased rates
or by diminished service to the
people? Mr.. Donaldson started
this week to try to get the answer.
He issued an order considered
drastic on Capitol Hill. 1t would
give the American people a less
satisfactory mail service than they
have had. If they don't like it,
i their representatives in Congress
are expected to say so, either by
increasing postal rates all along
the line and cutting expenses
where possible or by charging the
deficit to the general purposes of
government.
Most of the citizens who pay
taxes do not derive any direct
benefits from the Federal Govern
ment which could be compared in
Importance to the prompt delivery
Of mail. Both businesses and indi-
viduals depend on mail schedules
In a broad sense. In many parts
of the country, people carry on
their correspondence on the
theory that an overnight run of
the trains or planes will bring
delivery of their letters the next
day. Now they mustA-if the cur
rent order is not withdrawn-re-
cast their thinking and planning
and their individual and business
affairs and begin to guess when
letter may arrived at destination.
It's Up to Congress.
For while the trains and planes
and buses will be running as usual,
the handling of the mail in the
local post Offices will be rear
ranged. Very little night work will
be done. and very little on week
ends. The idea is to abolish as
much of the overtime expense as
possible, too.
Mail may pile up during the
night and increase the work dur
ing the day and thus delay even
more the ultimate distribution. In
residential areas the posttnan will
not ring twice any more.
While the effective date Of the
order is supposed to be. as an
outer limit. July /, it may be
doubted whether in such short
time anything like a working
substitute for the present system
will have been devised.
Meanwhile, it's up to Congress.
Back in November, 1918, when the
Democrats were in control of both
houses and there was a war on
and everybody thought, Of course,
that in the interest of national
unity the country would retain
the Democrats in Congress-, to
everybody'S surprise both houses
were captured by the Republicans.
Not a small part of the resent
ment at the polls then was due
to demoralized train schedules, as
the Government had taken over
the railroads. In turn this had dis
rupted mail service.
If a prize were offered for the
best means of irritating so million
voters in a hurry. it could be won
by the governmental agency that
started slowing down the mail
service of the people-their let
ters. their periodicals and their
parcels. For no matter how hard
the postal clerks may work. they
cannot give the same service as
before with less help. and fewer
hours to sort the mail.
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