THK 1JKK: OMAHA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 1'JHJ.
I
- HAIL DIVISION HAS
CENTER IN OMAHA
Change in Amount Dae to War and
Various Condition! Which Have
Been Altered.
TERMINAL RAILWAY OFFICES
The fourteenth division of the railway
mall service, with headquarters at
Omaha, comprises the atatea of Colorado.
Nebraska, and Wyoming-, and haa Jurtsdlc
tlon over transportation of the malls on
alt lines In that territory and over all
postoffices with respect to fielr out
going malls.
In addition to the service on the rail
road lines there are five terminal rail
way postoffices, two of which are lo
cated at Omaha and the others at Coun
cil Bluffs, la., and Denver and Pueblo,
Colo. These terminals were organised
for the purpose of taking up the dis
tribution of circulars and parcel post, as
it can b performed in them more eco
nomically than In postal cars. There
have been some changes during- the year
In the distribution performed, certain
malls distributed in the Fourteenth divi
sion terminals having been shifted to
terminals In neighboring divisions, and
vice versa. There have also been
changes In the matter of the malls dis
tributed by postoffices and turned over
to railway postofflce lines for distribu
tion. The total distribution during the year
1916 In these line and terminals was
17.189,156 packages of letters, 4,638,529,
sacks of papers and 638,078 sacks of par
cel post, an Increase over the year 1914
of approximately BflO.000 packages of let
ters and 330.000 sacks of papers and a
decrease of about 136.0)0 sack of parcel
post.
Chans In Tersniaala.
The decrease In parcel post la accounted
for by the fact that the parcel post from
the east for South Dakota, -which was
formerly distributed In the Council Bluffs
terminal, haa been transferred to the
terminal at Bloux City, la., and the Colo
rado parcel post from the east, all of
which waa formerly distributed In the
Denver terminal, haa been transferred,
ao that that coming from the Chicago
gateway is distributed at Omaha, and
that from New York by way of PlUs
' burgh Is distributed at Kansas City; so
the division has lost all of the South
Dakota and about half of the Colorado.
In addition many of the big eastern mail
order houses which, when the parcel
poet system was first inaugurated,
shipped their mall ao that it waa dis
tributed In the terminals, have now
found It cheaper to ship by freight to
Various minor points at which parcels
are mailed for offices In nearby sones,'
the combined freight rate and local par
cel poat rates being cheaper than the
through rate on parcel post. A great
part of such shipments Is made up by
the mall order houses themselves In di
rect sacks for many postoffices, so whllo
they are transported they are not dis
tributed by this service.
The 'number of men employed In the
division, including officials, waa 876 on
January 1, 1915, and Ml on January 1,
MM, a decrease during the year of thirty
four employes.
v Work la Changed,
The terminal railway postoffices .were
inaugurated during the latter part of
Ml and during 1914. They took over
much work which had been performed
upon the lines. It required many men
to man them and tneae had to be ap
pointed at once, while the reduction upon
the lines could not be made until the
effect upon them of the terminals waa
ascertained. So that the year Just closed
represents a readjustment to meet the
new conditions brought about by the ter
minals, and It haa been satisfactory to
this division. In that while there haa
been a net reduction In the force, the
vacancies occurlng have taken care of
the clerks, and It haa not been neces
sary to remove any from the service.
It has, however, been a hard year for
substitute clerks, as the process of tak
ing care of the regular clerks has left no
vacancies for new appointments. Thte
readjustment, however, haa now been
Completed, there are no surplus clerks
to care for, and with normal increases
In the mall and the normal vacancies
which occur, the coming year will offer
better prospects for those who have
taken the civil service examination and
are carried on the substitute rolls.
War Haa Ita Effect.
Uudoubtedly also the war has had Its
effect on the volume of malls, and the
last two years have not seen tha nor
mal Increase of about 7 per cent per
annum which usually occurs. More re
cent Indications and such statistics as
are available Indicate that this perloJ
of depression has passed and that the
malls are again Increasing in something
like their normal proportion.
The holiday malls may be taken as
some Index of the condition of pros
perity In the country, the week before
Christmas showing always an enormous
Increase In the malls carried. This year
elaborate preparations were made to
handle these malls during the ten days
ended with Christmas day, In order to
avoid congestion and delay. The flooJ
was kept moving this year with lea
friction than ever before, notwithstand
ing there waa an unquestionable Increase
In tha quantity. Officials of the Bur
lington estimate that on Its lines out or
Omaha it carried about 35 per cent more
mall during this period than in the cor
responding period a year ago, and the
Increase on the Union Pacific lines carry
ing the overland malls waa quite at
marked.
Good Index.
Parcel post for Nebraska from the east
ia sent to the terminal In the Burling
ton station at Omaha, and as there has
been no change in this practice since the
inauguration of thla terminal more than
two years ago. It Is considered a fair In
dex of the comparative volume of the
Christmas malls. During the week pre
ceding Christmas there were distributed
6,480 sacks of Nebraska parcel post In
this terminal In 1913; 8.(12 aacka In 1911,
and MU aacks In 1916.
During recent months there haa been
some decrease In the parcel post for
this state as compared with a year ago,
owing to the mailings by the mall or
der houses above referred to, so that
the Increase during this particular week
is the more marked as Indicative of the
number of Christmas parcels going
through the malls as representative of
the country's prosperity. During the
week preceding Christmas it was no un
common thing to send out of Omaha on
the Overland Union Pacific trains as
many as twenty-five carloads of mml
In a day, and the trains on the ssmq
lire from the west brought in as liluh
as sixteen tars In a single day. As tins
, rrprrnt but on t-rie, mmc Idea rna
Kilned of tha enormous tonnage of
mull passing through the Omaha depot
during the Christmas period.
MORE MAIL HANDLED HERE
THAN FOR PREVIOUS YEARS
Parcel post bnalneas at the Omaha of
fice made a decided leap ahead daring
1915. This was attributed laraelv to In.
creased facilities offered the public, such
wiecuoa on delivery feature, lower
ing of tha insurance rates to a minimum
of 8 cents for a value up to $5, extension
of the site limit of package to eighty
four Inches, extension of tha welht limit,
reduction of the weight per pound and
ihe parcel poat receipts, ss well as the
natural Increase due to growth of the
city and knowledge of the advantages
afforded.
The number of parcels Insured at the
Omaha office In the week before Christ
mas waa 66 per cent greater than the
number insured during that period In
KM 4.
Thirty-two per cent more aacks of par
fr
m
lrV
. Will
Mm?
'1
cel poet matter waa handled In the week
preceding Christmas this year than In
that week, 1914.
The number of letters handled at the
local office during the period December
17 to 14 was lt.T0 in 1915. being an in
crease of 178.460 over the same period
last year.
EIGHT HUNDRED NOW AT
WORK IN FEDERAL BUILDING
The Omaha poatofflco or federal build
ing occupies a Mock and cost IJ,0"0,000.
There are nearly 800 men and women em
ployed In the building.
The rare of the building comes under
Custodian C. W. McCune, and the payroll
including firemen, engineers. Janitors,
charwomen, elevator men and watchmen,
amounts to about 83.000 a year.
The building Is administered by the au
pcrvfslhR architect of the Treaaury de
partment at Washington.
Expenditures during the lint year for
Improvements were less than during the
previous year, the largest Item being re
pairs to approaches and extending the
e
iw
47
- C
ER & COMPANY mm NEBRASKA
"THE WILLOW SPRINGS DISTILLERY"
platform on the west aide ef the bulldlna.
which gives the Postofflce department
more space to handle the mail. This
cost about 84.600. There was also In
stalled window ventilators al over the
building at a cost of about I XV. a new
tile roof over the eaat porch cost
REGISTER ED MA I L S HOWS
MOST DECIDED INCREASE
An increase of 35 per cent In the num
ber of plecea of registered mall delivered
In Omaha In 1915 over 1CH la shown by
the annual report of this branch of Post
master Wharton's domain.
The total number of pieces regis
tered during 1915 wss I0.K and the total
number of pieces delivered as 1M.:i2.
a total of SI. 1H.
I -
POSTAL SAVINGS DEPOSITS
SHOW GAIN FOR THE YEAR
Postal saving deposits In the Omsh
hank have Increased very materially dur
ing the last year. The bsnk la under
the direction of Poslmsster John ('
mm
DROPPING TH
At midnight, Friday, we dropped the old pilot and took up the new one.
The old year, with its joys and sorrows, becomes nothing but a memory, and 1910 is here,
with a brand new set of opportunities.
Let's forget about our yesterdays, with their petty successes and failures. Let's look
the new today righj in the eye and determine to make this new year the best and happiest
we have seen.
OUR BEST WISHES FOR YOU
First of all, we wish you the very best of good health. Given that, and a body can meet
the blows of fate with a smile.
We wish you a few real friends to back you up in your reverses, and to help celebrate
your victories. For any real friend is worth more than an army of acquaintances.
And, lastly, we wish you the good judgment that enables one to magnify one's good for
tune and ignore one's bad fortune. Both kinds come to all of us, but the really happy person
is he who refuses to be unhappy. May this be your fortunate lot.
Greet the New Year With
5
A
?rn?rrrtiN
Wharton and occupies a room on the
main floor of the postofflce bulldlna.
The total number of separate accounts
haa Increased Slightly.
On December ft, 1914. the totsl number
of depositors waa l.ix and on the same
date In 1915 the depositors numbered i,WX
On December 81, 1914. the total deposits
were 8avr,m; and on the same date In
MI.1 they had increased to W,H.
While there are only forty-three more
depositors the deposits have Increaeel
ARMY ENLISTMENTS
SHOW BIG FALLING OFF
A big decrease In enlistments In tho
United fltatea army through the Omaha
recruiting station Is shown hy tro flure
rglven out by Recruiting Rertteant Hansen.
I The decrease Is explained largely by
j the closing of the three uh.f artini
which were mslrtslned In Des Molires.
Kioux City and Lincoln.
Rnllatmenta by quarters during ltS
were as follows: First quarter. ; ond
quarter, 1; third quarter, T; fourth
NEBRASKA
Equal to the Best Made Elsewhere
In Purity and Flavor sT
The, liquor question will be settled eventually between those
who know bow to use liquor temperately and demand the right
to purchase It, and those who deny them gurh right. The de
mand creates the supply. There are many thousands of con
urmerg for every manufacturer; hundreds of purchasers for
every seller. Statistics prove that, notwithstanding an in
creased consumption of whiskey, there is less intemperance than
ever before, because Americans have learned to use it tem
perately. Good whiskey, like Golden Bbeaf. diluted, for in
stance with charged waters, is no stronger than milder bev
erage, and the purest of all stimulants, being gertuless. It
cannot be fermented or spoil, like so-called soft drinks, nor
cause acidity or biliousness in the system. It's abuse, as well
as the abuse of anything, is harmful; Its moderate use bene
ficial. The medidno cbeet should not be without it.
When You Buy "GOLDEN SHEAF"
You Have the Distiller's Guarantee of
Getting Full Value for Your Money.
quarter. I. Total, V Total enlistments
last year aere tZ at the Omaha station,
with 57 at the three suhatatlon.
Saloon is Robbed
of Several Pints
John rarratt. 1J South Thirteenth
street, asserts that Ma saloon waa visited
hy thieves who gained entrance tn the
place by forcing a rear window, and then
stele ten mts of whisky.
The United Machine company, M Doug
las street, report the theft of one of their
lot machine from a local cafe
Chsrfc flallett. gig Bancroft, found that
a tool kouee at Ml ttnulevard, had been
broken Into and tools to the value of
.'t taken.
Flnjd l.elln, Mholes. Nrh.. stopped to
argue curr-nt topics with a eolored
person Thursday rvcnlntt. and los: the
argument and tlrt.
Ktrrhbrauin Sons. 11 II Howard
street, assert a case of eggs waa stolen
from one of their wagons.
Resd The Pee Want Ads. It pays'
PRODUCT
ISP!?
ijilllVBOORSW
vmisitP
fc.jlX tonus in so" I
m J
Pneumonia is Most
Dread Disease for
1915 inThis City
A preliminary report ef the health de
partment shows that pneumonia wss tha
"dread disease" in Omaha during tha
last year, the deaths from thla disease)
numlertng yt, nearly twice tne number
ef tabercular fatalities. Although there
were many scarlet fever case reported,
there were only sixteen deaths of vic
tims of this disease. Five typhoid fever
Vat ha were reported during the year.
The birth records show a total of l.14
for Greater Omaha, an Increase of about
1"0 oxer the veer before. There were
deslhs. of the deaths two were per
sona mere tbaa I'M years of aga and
fourteen were between and 110 years
of age.
Mart-h led aa the month ef Mrtha aa
well as deaths.
Read The Dee Want Ads. It pays!
1 WZ
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