A VITAL SERVICE

Year Published: 1960s

Description:

Dating to the 1960s, "A Vital Service" was produced by the USPS department of personnel. This morale boosting recruiting and retention film is about the operations and significance of the Postal Service. Notably, it includes footage of a fully integrated staff at the USPS with Black / African American and white clerks and personnel. It highlights:

• Role and Importance: The Postal Service is described as a vital link of communication that connects people, promotes trade, and supports mutual understanding and goodwill.

• Scale and Workforce: It emphasizes the vast scale of operations, with over 600,000 employees handling millions of mail items daily.

• Mail Processing: Detailed descriptions of the processes involved in collecting, sorting, and delivering mail, including the use of mechanical aids and the responsibilities of various postal workers.

• Special Services: The roles of special delivery messengers and rural letter carriers, who provide additional services like selling stamps and money orders.

• Support Roles: The importance of other employees, such as automotive mechanics, janitors, and office clerks, who support the overall operation.

• Security and Efficiency: The role of postal inspectors in ensuring the security of mail and the implementation of new programs and procedures to improve efficiency, such as the ZIP code system.

Overall, the film underscores the essential role of the Postal Service in maintaining communication and supporting the daily lives of Americans.

0:36 - 1:25: The Postal Service is described as a vital service that connects people, promotes trade, and requires a well-trained workforce to maintain communication across the nation. Interior of a post office with mail being sorted. A Black woman sorts mail, followed by the face of a white employee.

1:25 - 2:08: The text highlights the vast scale of the Postal Service, with over 600,000 employees handling millions of items of mail daily, and the importance of each employee's role. At 1:41, automated machines quickly tie bundles of mail.

2:08 - 3:06: Details about the daily operations, including the distances covered by letter carriers and the volume of mail processed, are provided. At 2:16, a Black mail carrier hitches a ride on a bus with his sacks of mail. At 2:23, a Dodge mail truck. At 2:36, a Postal Money Order is shown being processed.

3:06 - 4:19: The process of mail collection, sorting, and cancellation is explained, including the roles of mail handlers and the use of mechanical aids. At 3:12, a mail carrier empties a post office mail drop box. At 3:35, letter mail is sorted by hand. At 4:06, mechanical facing and cancellation of letters.

4:19 - 5:02: Describes the sorting and dispatching of mail to meet transportation schedules, ensuring timely delivery. At 4:56, mail goes aboard a United passenger airplane.

5:02 - 6:14: Incoming mail is further sorted and prepared for delivery by letter carriers, who arrange and bundle the mail in the order of delivery. At 5:21, a Fageol Mobile Postal Van cruises down the highway. At 5:25, a train picks up mail without slowing down.

6:14 - 7:05: The responsibilities of letter carriers, including handling heavy mail loads, using relay boxes, and delivering mail on foot or by vehicle, are outlined. At 6:55, a Rand/Cushman Mailster drives down the street.

7:05 - 8:04: Special delivery messengers and rural letter carriers are discussed, highlighting their roles in delivering mail and providing additional services. At 7:30, a Dodge mail truck drives down the road.

8:04 - 9:03: The text mentions other essential employees, such as automotive mechanics, janitors, and office clerks, who support the overall operation of the Postal Service. 8:16 letters are retrieved from a post office box. At 8:48, a Jeep mailster is serviced.

9:03 - 10:04: Postal inspectors ensure the security and efficiency of mail operations, while a special division caters to stamp collectors. 9:37, postal inspector examines mail to detect fraud.

10:04 - 11:01: The principles of postal operations are summarized, emphasizing the use of new mechanized equipment and electronic sorting machines to improve efficiency.

11:01 - 12:04: New programs and procedures, such as the ZIP code system and mail users councils, are introduced to help the Postal Service keep pace with increasing mail volume and improve service.

Complete Record: Dating to the 1960s, "A Vital Service" was produced by the USPS department of personnel. This morale boosting recruiting and retention film is about the operations and significance of the Postal Service. Notably, it includes footage of a fully integrated staff at the USPS with Black / African American and white clerks and personnel. It highlights: • Role and Importance: The Postal Service is described as a vital link of communication that connects people, promotes trade, and supports mutual understanding and goodwill. • Scale and Workforce: It emphasizes the vast scale of operations, with over 600,000 employees handling millions of mail items daily. • Mail Processing: Detailed descriptions of the processes involved in collecting, sorting, and delivering mail, including the use of mechanical aids and the responsibilities of various postal workers. • Special Services: The roles of special delivery messengers and rural letter carriers, who provide additional services like selling stamps and money orders. • Support Roles: The importance of other employees, such as automotive mechanics, janitors, and office clerks, who support the overall operation. • Security and Efficiency: The role of postal inspectors in ensuring the security of mail and the implementation of new programs and procedures to improve efficiency, such as the ZIP code system. Overall, the film underscores the essential role of the Postal Service in maintaining communication and supporting the daily lives of Americans. 0:36 - 1:25: The Postal Service is described as a vital service that connects people, promotes trade, and requires a well-trained workforce to maintain communication across the nation. Interior of a post office with mail being sorted. A Black woman sorts mail, followed by the face of a white employee. 1:25 - 2:08: The text highlights the vast scale of the Postal Service, with over 600,000 employees handling millions of items of mail daily, and the importance of each employee's role. At 1:41, automated machines quickly tie bundles of mail. 2:08 - 3:06: Details about the daily operations, including the distances covered by letter carriers and the volume of mail processed, are provided. At 2:16, a Black mail carrier hitches a ride on a bus with his sacks of mail. At 2:23, a Dodge mail truck. At 2:36, a Postal Money Order is shown being processed. 3:06 - 4:19: The process of mail collection, sorting, and cancellation is explained, including the roles of mail handlers and the use of mechanical aids. At 3:12, a mail carrier empties a post office mail drop box. At 3:35, letter mail is sorted by hand. At 4:06, mechanical facing and cancellation of letters. 4:19 - 5:02: Describes the sorting and dispatching of mail to meet transportation schedules, ensuring timely delivery. At 4:56, mail goes aboard a United passenger airplane. 5:02 - 6:14: Incoming mail is further sorted and prepared for delivery by letter carriers, who arrange and bundle the mail in the order of delivery. At 5:21, a Fageol Mobile Postal Van cruises down the highway. At 5:25, a train picks up mail without slowing down. 6:14 - 7:05: The responsibilities of letter carriers, including handling heavy mail loads, using relay boxes, and delivering mail on foot or by vehicle, are outlined. At 6:55, a Rand/Cushman Mailster drives down the street. 7:05 - 8:04: Special delivery messengers and rural letter carriers are discussed, highlighting their roles in delivering mail and providing additional services. At 7:30, a Dodge mail truck drives down the road. 8:04 - 9:03: The text mentions other essential employees, such as automotive mechanics, janitors, and office clerks, who support the overall operation of the Postal Service. 8:16 letters are retrieved from a post office box. At 8:48, a Jeep mailster is serviced. 9:03 - 10:04: Postal inspectors ensure the security and efficiency of mail operations, while a special division caters to stamp collectors. 9:37, postal inspector examines mail to detect fraud. 10:04 - 11:01: The principles of postal operations are summarized, emphasizing the use of new mechanized equipment and electronic sorting machines to improve efficiency. 11:01 - 12:04: New programs and procedures, such as the ZIP code system and mail users councils, are introduced to help the Postal Service keep pace with increasing mail volume and improve service.

Transcription

e [Music] [Applause] the Postal Service messenger of sympathy and love servant of parted Friends consoler of the Lonely Bond of the scattered family enlarger of the common life carrier of news and knowledge instant of trade and Industry promoter of mutual acquaintance of peace and goodwi service a service that touches every American a service which requires a well-trained legion of civil servants to maintain the nation's foremost link of communication a vital service in which you will play an important role an endless flow of mail moves across our nation every hour of every day in thousands upon thousands of locations mail is received processed and delivered by more than 600,000 men and women of every race color and crew Americans who work in a wide variety of jobs jobs vital to the efficient operation of moving the mail at one time each of them like you was a new employee unfamiliar with the background and working operations of the largest civilian agency in the federal government each day our 150,000 letter carriers travel seven times the distance covered by Astronaut John Glenn in his three orbits around the earth postal employees operate approximately 100,000 government owned or hired Vehicles each year window Clerk over 23 billion stamps can I have three ones please and handle more than 900 million special service transactions their colleagues working behind the scene are deluged with about 80 billion items of mail nearly 1/ half of the world's mail volume and it's increasing by 3 billion items of mail a year mountains of mail and Parcels must be sorted distributed and delivered promptly accurately economically here is where it all starts at a maale deposit point this mail is brought to the post office along with other mail collected throughout the area it is then moved to the workroom floor by maale handlers for processing as outgoing mail maale handlers also make the first rough set separation known as culling here air mail and special delivery are separated large bulky envelopes and small Parcels keys and film cans are also removed for separate handling mail handlers then face and cancel the mail facing is a process by which letters are oriented so that all stamps are in the same position ready for cancellation in many offices both the facing and cancelling operation are performed mechanically it merely requires mail to be batched before its insertion into the machine this not only speeds the facing and cancelling operation it is less fatiguing to the employees once cancelled mail goes to distribution clerks who sort by destination mail remains in compartments until it is time to be pulled and tied into separate bundles it is then sorted into pouches and dispatched to meet Transportation schedules which carry mail to its destination as quickly as possible motor vehicle operators then move processed mail to Transportation Terminals and pick up incoming mail once mail is at the terminal transfer clerks are respond responsible for its dispatch on time and at lowest possible cost [Music] [Applause] [Music] when mail reaches its destination it becomes known as incoming mail and receives further sorting to stations within the city then to individual carrier routes the letter carrier is responsible for actual delivery before starting out the carrier often spends 3 hours arranging mail in proper order the order in which it will will be delivered his case contains names of streets house and building numbers relay points and notation of special orders when mail has been arranged it is assembled into bundles and numbered in the order of delivery the carrier's mail is generally too heavy to be carried at one time when mail exceeds £ 35 for one trip he makes up larger bundles of mail called relay they are transported by other carriers in trucks and placed in relay boxes at intervals along the Route by the time he reaches the first such box his Satchel is empty or nearly so he refills it with bundles from the relay box in heavily congested areas the carrier delivers mail on foot however in many cases such as outlying residential areas he is equipped with a vehicle which allows him to carry all the mail for his entire route carriers collect charges on postage due and cood mail and obtain receipts for registered certified and certain insured mail they also pick up letters customers drop into mailboxes [Music] there is a separate group of carriers called special delivery messages usually in a vehicle the special delivery messenger delivers both letter mail and Parcels at the same time he obtains signatures when required and collects on coods if no one is at home he determines whether to leave the mail or return it to the post office in either case a notice is attached to the door knob notifying the customer customer of the disposition of his special delivery mail mail addressed outside area served by City carriers is usually delivered by rural letter [Music] carriers the post office employs over 30,000 rural letter carriers they serve approximately 10 million families the rural carrier makes his deliveries by automobile in the process he sells stamps and money orders and provides many of the same Services as window clerks in post office lobbies many additional employees contribute greatly to the overall operation of the service some 3,500 Automotive mechanics Body and Fender repairment and parts clerks keep government-owned Vehicles operable thousands more are employed as janitors maintenance Personnel laborers building guards and elevator operators some service the mechanical mail processing equipment others repair or construct mail sacks locks and mailboxes accountants secretaries typists and Office Clerks are needed to keep the offices running smoothly they aid postmasters and supervisor personnel with administrative duties postal inspectors are employed to detect investigate and prevent violations of postal laws and regulations thus guaranteeing the sanctity of the males they also examine postal operations and suggest improvements to speed service to accommodate the 12 million and more stamp collectors in the nation a special division is set up to sell current and commemorative stamps by mail order or at counters what you have seen in this film generally outlines the principles of postal operations across the country the post office department is a gigantic Organization for it to operate efficiently the needs of each specific postal installation and the Personnel working there must always be taken into consideration in larger offices proven mechanized equipment is utilized wherever practical to help you process the mail in a number of post offices mechanical Conveyor Systems are used to reduce manual movement of mail between work areas with electronic sorting machines a distribution clerk codes an address and the letter is mechanically sent to the proper compartment the same is true of the parcel sorter a competent Workforce however needs more than machines to help them meet the expected 4% annual increase in mail volume new programs and procedures have been introduced on both national and local levels in The NeverEnding attempt to help postal employees keep Pace with this increase one of the most important is zip code a five number National coding plan which identifies each postal delivery unit and links that unit with a major post office through which is rooted for delivery the except mail service began in 1961 mail users councils consisting of some 20,000 top mailers in more than 300 communities meet with the local postmaster and discuss ways of improving the mail service to the community these are but a few of the programs now in progress there will be more because planning and studying new systems and procedures for improved mail service is a continuing process [Music]

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