Evening star., 1953-01-26
Whythe Postmon No LongerRings Twice

editors note: Quite q few letters
handled by the Post Office during Jesse
M. Donaldson's tenure as Postmaster
General were directed to his personal
attention, blaming him for cutting
mail deliveries to one a day. Among
Mr.. DonaldSons last official acts before
closing his desk was to put the blame
where it belongs-in the lap of Con-
gress. He prepared a memorandum on
the subject, which has been condensed
as followS)
During World War II there was
great shortage of manpower and
materials, such as rubber and equip
ment, as well as rationing of gasoline
In addition approximately so 900 postal
employees were called into the armed
services.
All during the war sthere was a
reduction in postal service because of
these conditions. Many street letter
boxes were removed so collections could
be reduced. For the most part deliveries
in city residential sections were con-
fined to one trip. In fact, even one
trip was not completed in some west
ern cities where manpower was not
obtainable.
Thus postal expenditures during the
war years were greatly decreased. With
demobllization after the war, postal
people returned to their positions and
the manpower situation was greatly re-
heved. We restored curtailed services
as rapidly as possible, and this called
for additional funds.
Congress baked during the early
postwar years at increasing appropria-
tlons but in the end granted them.
Continuance Of the single-delivery sys-
tenn was suggested but I explained it
would not greatly reduce personnel, as
thought, but would probably result in
reduction in the carrier force by one
carrier out of 10 or II.
The amount requested by the depart
ment for the fiscal year 1851 was reduced
$42.46O, 700 by the Budget Bureau. It
was further reduced $28, 100000 by the
House, making a total reduction of
approximately $70.500,0O0. When this
appropriation bill passed the House,
there was not single objection to the
report Of the Appropriations Committee
which contained the request that de-
liveries in residential areas be reduced
from two to one. Furthermore, before
the bill passed the House, two amend
ments were added and approved, one
requiring general reduction of 10 per
cent and the other providing for the
lapSing Of 10 per cent Of all vacancies
in positions occurring during the fiscal
year.
There was ample justification for
issuance Of my order Of April II, 1850,
calling for service readjustments. The
roodiuStV10oV1fc did 1NYiV1or oIan,,% %1oa ao,,
ings required by Congress.
I do not criticize Congress for, after
all, Congress Is the law-making body
and in sense the board of directors
for the Post Office Department. do
not mean to criticize the House Appro-
priations Committee for requesting that
these deliveries in residential sections
be reduced from two to one. The COM
mittee is well aware that there are
approximately Al 900 post Offices in the
United States and that city delivery
has been authorized In only 4,765 offices.
Therefore, as Of today. there are more
than $4,000 Offices that have no delivery
service at all. The combined popula-
ton OF these communities, not including
the rural population. is little more
than 35 million, and these people 20
to the post Office to get their mail and
pay rental on lock boxes or get service
through the general delivery. In addi-
tion to this, there are 32,546 rural routes
that serve approximately one fourth Of
our population. The patrons Of the
rural service get one delivery trip per
day, and in some instances three trips
per week. Suburban areas to large
cities are served through mounted
vr,sk all &v.S,a
Therefore, approximately go per cent
Of our entire population either had one
delivery trip per day or three times a
week or none at all. The cost Of the
rural delivery service is approximately
5000 million per annun, and the cost
of the city delivery service is around
$500 million per annurn.
Reports from foreign administrations
show that all postal services have been
reduced in some respects in the interest
of economy.
I quote a statement made by the
assistant postmaster general Of Great
Britain in the House Of Commons in
March, 1852:
MANY honorable members wonder
whether we shall ever again get back
the penny post and the prewar midnight
collections of letters in London. The
answer to both Of these is no. The
penny post is gone with the prewar
purchasing power Of the pound. To
restore deliveries and collections to the
prewar scale would require an addi-
tional 10000 men. It is quite clear that
the country could not afford that
today"
The Canadian postal service pro-
vides only one delivery in residential
sections. and one delivery is provided
in some Scandinavian countries. The
annual report of the postmaster gen.
eral Of Canada for the year ended
March 81. 1852. contains this state
ment:
Letter carrier walks in Canada were
revised during the year to conform to
the government directive that resi-
Dental. walks were to receive letter
carrier service once per day. There are