AREA MAIL DELIVERY TIME TOPS AVERAGE

On-time delivery of first-class overnight mail in the Cape Girardeau area is above the national average.

"We've been running about 94 percent on-time delivery," said Mike Keefe, Cape Girardeau postmaster.

The U.S. Postal Service reported this week that it posted a record 90 percent on-time delivery rate.

"This is the best performance since the accounting firm of Pierce Waterhouse started tracking mail deliveries in 1990," said Gerald Carlson, president of the Missouri Chapter of National Association of Postmasters of the United States. "The tracking focuses on 96 locations across the country."

Carlson, the postmaster at Willard, Mo., Keefe and more than 300 other postmasters from across the state are in Cape Girardeau this week for the annual Missouri Postmasters Convention at the Holiday Inn Convention Center.

Hugh Bates, association president, will be keynote speaker at the convention's grand banquet at 6:30 tonight.

Keefe is host postmaster and convention chairman for the conference, which ends Friday. The conference is the 62nd annual Missouri chapter convention.

A number of issues -- including on-time deliveries, stamp costs and postal competition -- were discussed during seminars Wednesday.

"The postal service strives to improve its service," said Carlson. "These conventions are one way for everybody to mingle and discuss ways and means for improvement."

The 90 percent performance report for the period March 2 through May 24 was good news, said Carlson.

Wichita, Kan., scored best in the nation with 96 percent on-time overnight delivery. The Virgin Islands had the low of 78 percent.

"Missouri overall was close to the on-time delivery average," said Carlson. "The state has two separate divisions: Mid-America out of Kansas City and Gateway out of St. Louis." Both recorded 89-plus percentages, said Carlson.

The post office sets delivery goals for overnight as well as two- and three-day delivery of first-class mail for each metropolitan area, varying by distance and local factors.

Carlson said he didn't expect the 32-cent mailing cost to go up this year. "In fact, those customers who prepare their mail for bar coding may see a decrease in their rates," said Carlson.

The Postal Service is considering ending a couple of practices -- special delivery mail and delivery of postage-due mail.

"There is a proposal before the Postal Service to end special delivery," said Carlson. "It is no longer cost effective."

Although the practice of delivering underpaid mail was not discussed Wednesday, the Postal Service may start treating it like mail with no postage -- returning it to the sender.

Currently, while mail with no postage is sent back, items with insufficient postage are marked postage due and sent to the intended recipient. The letter carrier then tries to collect the shortage. Letter carriers are often unable to find someone at home to pay for postage due during normal business hours, the agency said.