City Leaders Demand Immediate Postal Relief
Seattle's Chamber of Commerce warns that the city's growth has completely overwhelmed the local post office.
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A special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held last evening to consider the wretched condition of affairs at the post office, occasioned by the extraordinary pressure of business and the gross inadequacy of the service provided by the Department, which is sufficient for a population of 3,000 souls. The post office is crowded from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. There is but one delivery, and but one clerk allowed, at $52 per month. There is a resident population of 7,500 and a transient population of 3,000 supplied at the office. The Chamber of Commerce resolved that the Postmaster General be notified that the present facilities are wholly inadequate and requested immediate relief to provide at least two deliveries and five clerks.
“The business of the office demands at least two deliveries and two delivery clerks, one money order clerk, one distributing clerk and one night clerk.”
In 1883, Seattle's population explosion outpaced its federal infrastructure—a recurring theme in the city's history. Today, the debate over postal capacity has shifted to the privatization of logistics and the digital delivery of information, yet the friction between rapid growth and decaying public service remains as relevant as ever.
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