Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-04-10
We Crocker-BorreIP.O O.

uCpCLiuCllt VII lCBlSidIitC UuQB~
cts cannot help but sympa-
thize with the Postmaster
General. However. one who
still has to 60 to q local post
office daily to get his mail as
his grandfather did 100 years
ago. at an extra cost to the
Federal Government Of $685.
900 annually for one compar-
atively small neighborhood,
wonders whether Chairman
Cannon Of the Appropriations
Committee may not have
something there when he says
that q more efficient post Of
flce administration is the an
swer and not added appropria-
tons.
Let me be more specific.
As the story goes in my
neighborhood, President Lin
coin tried mighty hard to keep
Maryland in the Union, and
one means he employed was
to establish a post ONCE and
a postmaster every two miles
in rural areas in this State.
In the Sandy Spring area
where I live, there are still
small. local post ofilces every
two miles: I can count at least
10 or is within . radius of 1--WE
miles Of Sandy Spring. IN adj.
dition. rural free delivery may
be had from either Laurel or
Rockville If one wishes to give
either Of these places as an
address.
The result Is that on the
Colesville road. a rural delivery
from Rockville goes down one
side Of the road and a rural
delivery from Laurel goes up
the other side Of the same
road: end those Of US who do
not wish to give our addresses
as Rockville or Laurel. neither
Of which has any relation to
where we live. must go to the
local post ONCE to collect our
neil daily. Just as our grand
father did when Mr.. Lincoln
was President. Unfortunately.
some Of US leave home before
the local post ONCE opens in
the morning and often get
home after 1t closes, so we COL
lect our mail sometimes once
a week-on Saturdays. Now
Mr.. Summerfield threatens to
cut out Saturday service en-
tirely! The astounding thing.
however. Is that, according to
a report made by his own de-
partment some years ago. a
saving Of $4,000 a year could
be realized right here In our
little neighborhood by CONSOLE
dating some Of these small post
Offices In one central Office at
Sandy Snring with rural free
delivery to all on the basis Of
our real addresses.
One Is led to wonder
whether the existence Of local
post ofiices every two miles in
rural areas elsewhere, which
NAV have been good in horse
and-buggy days and before
rural free delivery was In
vented. might not be respon-
sible for some Of the extra cost
Of mail service these days. At
any rate. It seems strange that
the Post ONCE Department
should not combine a saving
Of $4,000 with modern service
at least right here in the
shadow Of the Capitol.
I'm glad Mr.. Lincoln kept
Maryland from secession, but
can't we stop fighting the Civil
War as Of 1857. or must the
Republicans still hold on to
Maryland by perpetuatine We
old cracker-barrel post office?
Howard b. Gill.
Before Congress votes for
Postmaster General Summer
fields demand for SAT million
to run the Post ONCE for an
other year. 1t would be wise
and economical to make a
reappraisal Of the whole post
Office picture. First. the post
off1ces were originally designed
to serve the public with the
sale Of stamps and the deliv-
cry Of letters. postcards first
class NALL and newspapers
and periodicals (second-class
maiD. There was no Post once
deficit back In those days.
Then big business firms
wanted circulars and adver-
tisements tthiTd-class mail)
delivered by the Post Office
Department. They had lobby
lists and won. In 1912 the big
users Of parcel post. manufac-
turers. wholesalers. retailers
and mail-order houses said the
express companies had q mo
nopoly" on parcel post bust
ness and charged too much for