Daily Republican., 1881-06-21
Mail Messenger Service.

Mail Messenger Service.
We stated yesterday that in the mat
: ter of carrying the mail from the T
w. & b. depot to the Post Office, tina
Mr.. Kitchen the successful bidder tt
whom the contract was awarded a
/. $500 per annum would have rather {
hard snap" of it, or Mr.. Samuel Pyle
20 the retiring messenger had very soft
soft ''snap" of it at $1,000 year. We
do not favor the payment of exorbitant
a wages to a government employee SIM
q ply because the government has it to
pay, but considering in the light of saia-
ries paid to other clerks, letter carriers
and route agents in the employ of the
government, we do not think the pay
of Mr.. Pyle was eXorbitant. RoEte
agents with one-fourth the time off get
from $ll00 to $1,000 year and have lit
tie if any night work TO do and letter
carriers who have no night work to do
get as high as Sl100. Mr.. Pyle the mail
messenger was employed day and night,
and only few hours at the best could
be snatched for sleep and rest between
the arrivals of the mails. He had to
be on hand at an early hour III the
morning to take the first mail to the
depot and bring back a mail to the of
flee. With some fourteen round trips
day back and forth, besides waiting al
the depot for the arrivals of MALL the
day passed away, but even then his
work was not done. He had to carry Il
mail TO and from the depot at 10 o'clock
at night and again another at about one
o'clock in the morning. This made a
bad break into nights rest for man
who was pretty well worked through
the day, Aside from this he had to fur
nish his own horse and wagon, which
added considerable more to the labor
though the government did pay for the
keep of the horse. All these things
it will be seen after all that :
MIR. Pyle had no very easy sinecure
when working day and night, finding a
lorse and wagon and taking care of the :
'ame, are taken into consideration. J
When Mr.. Pyle under ex. Postmaster q
M = IA q Ia I
cen years ago for carrying the mail, he
'ould wheel all he got at any mail In a
vheel-barrow. unless there should be a i,
art load or SO of public documents let a
oose from Washington in which case "
lie could return. until all were wheeled ll
p to the Post Office The service was II
hen some $500, bnt as the population IN
nd business increased the mail matter sa
lcreaSed with it and now instesi of nc nc
ag or two of mail matter weighing IS
ON twenty-five to fifty pounds 0r so, M
often weighs as heavy as half a ton le
nd instead of mail service some 81
lree times a day, it is now doubled eerr
ld still the business interests of the
ty are asking for increased mail facili- -,
es. Under these circumstances there
'e few who will say that Mr.. Pyle was (
nd too much, when we consider that IN
ute agents are paid nearly as much W
r three fourth time and have no night NJ
ork, nor horses and wagons to pur-
lase.
1t is presumed that Mr.. Kitchen, who =,
apparently an intelligent man count sit i
the cost fully and took the labor into co
when he offered to do the te
ork for 5000 which Mr.. Pyle has been Ia, Ia,
tting $1,000 for. If he can do it for ca
at much money and perform suffi- M. n'
mt required mail service it is nobody's fro
siness but his own, whether he makes fra frs,
loses by the contract. Ifhe performs ere
icient service in a satisfactory man ert
and makes fair living out of his 81, a.
ltract he will have demonstrated the cea
It that the government has a great s
my overpaid officers, and money lit
'uld be saved by letting out route ~
encies, route clerkships and other -
sitions in the Post Office department vi
contract. We do not wish to dis CHI
lrage Mr.. Kitchen, but hope he may '
able to perform his contract in
isfactory manner and make some 7
ng besides. We agree however with All
evening contemporary that mail Sb, S'fu
ssengers, route agents and route Coz
rks should give bonded security for on on
faithful performance of their duties. tiaI
} cannot see the sense of requiring ives
urity of letter carriers and clerks, IJpl Dnl
i yet of those who handle all the con
il in the mail cars, and mail mes iah' Ia ,
gers no security whatever is re- 81
red. err!
lad ALL THE anti-Conkling Repub ,,.h