Show fur how it operates by william Bru bruckart chart HANDLING THE MAIL IT T IS a far cry from stage coaches to mall mail planes but this century has witnessed that development there are regular malls mails now between north and central and south america service operating with much more frequency than did the transcontinental tin malls mails a little more titan than halt a century ago and there Is the projected transatlantic mall something hing much nearer dearer realization than Is generally anticipated these facts are cited merely to show that the postal service ne never er S stands still either literally or figura figuratively if vely it Is growing at all times even as our nation expands I 1 believe its history justifies the assertion that no service of our government has greater lie flexibility 1 I none that can adapt itself so quickly to conditions as can this agency of government credit for the development must go in a large measure to those men and women who make up the rank and file of the service more than 00 90 per cent of the workers of the postal service hold their places by reason of having met civil service tests making their appointment one of permanency so much attention has been devoted to this class the bulk of the postal service as a means of 0 contrasting them with the be political appointees who hold higher posts by title but whose hose importance to you and to me Is not nearly so great I 1 believe that the majority of the political appointees among the postmasters throughout the country render a patriotic service it Is unfair to criticize all of them for the shortcomings of some of their number but too often has it been found that a postmaster supported by the political leaders of a community Is not the person whom the majority of the patrons of that office would select but in our country the spoils of a political victory go to the winning party at the polls and postmaster ships constitute no small part of the patronage that can be used to pay political debts the flexibility of the postal service has permitted it ft to operate on a basis as nearly like private business as possible it has to have general rules of course and these have to be rather rigid but consider how a postmaster Is authorized to arrange for the receipt of letters from an established firm without requiring them to be stamped and how it receives the newspapers without payment of the postage in advance private business would operate that way it would ext extend 1 I credit so to speak to reputable patrons so the postmaster is permitted to arrange for metered mall avoiding the use of stamps and for collection of the postage at stated times newspapers are handled the same way the metering of mall Is a comparatively ively new practice arrangements having been made by the firm or individual who desires to use the privilege the letters are received at designated po points lifts either the main or branch office and they are run through a meter for counting 7 and cancellation of the place where aber e the stamps are placed by individuals posting only one or a few letters that machine stamps a cancellation that avers that the required postage has been paid which of course it has not been but the postmaster knows it will be millions of pieces of first class mall are sent that way each year and the practice Is increasing because it does away with labor to attach the stamps it avoids losses ses from theft or destruction of stamps and it saves money for the government in printing stamps in handling newspapers weight la Is the governing factor and the post postmaster mas requires periodical to arrive at a determination of postage due it avoids weighing every shipment thus saving time and the postage Is paid at intervals thus avoiding bookkeeping and transfer of smaller amounts of money congress has kept its finger on the pulse of the postal service by retaining the right to Is fix the rates that shall be charged except with respect to the airmail service it has granted many privileges such as those mentioned above however to meet everyday business requirements control of the rates it must musi be said properly remains in congress because the federal legislators are supposed to represent their constituents and rate changes have such a far reaching effect that the power to make them gava 1 ld rest with the representatives of those who pay the toll with the airmail a different circumstance exists it Is in the nature of a special service it must be done by special contract let and none knew when it was initiated how successful it could be made or what the cost would have to bo be so the postmaster general fixes the to rate we all pay when we want to send end a letter or pact package age in such a hurry that we mark it for dispatch by airplane this delegation of power to the postmaster general has enabled the gradual expansion of the air mall mail service until now it not only reaches from coast to coast from canada to the gulf of mexico and dozens of intermediate termed ter late lines but front from north amerlean american cities to the argentine and the end of this expansion is far off lot fot more and more air companies are ing contracts to transport the muil 0 1932 wegern i |