The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-08-17
ABOUT PosroFFICEs.

| ago gave u llSt u Inc pIColNcubiaA pOS'
( offices in Kansas with their salaries uh-
der the new reimbursement, which took
place July /. These Offices are in three
classes The salary for the first class is
from 5000 to $4,000; second class,
$1,000 to 5000; third class from 81 600
to $1,000. Those with salaries less than
$1,000 are in tie fourth class. Some
surprise has been expressed at the show
ing made by the list in the Joural, and
especially that the salaries OF the offices
at Emporia, Wichita and Lawrence
should be greater than that of the Tope-
ka office. The Topeka Capital, in talk
! ing about the matter, says:
"The amount of salary is no doubt
governed by the amount of business
done at the respective offices, and In
this case is based upon what purpOrts to
be q reimbursement recently made by the
department ut Washington. According
to this alleged REIMBURSEMENT the six
principal offices are graded as follows:
LeavenwOrth, $1,000; Atchison, 81, /;
Lawrence, 81 800; Wichita, s., 800; EN-
poria, $2,SO0; Topeka, $2,70O.
By what process of mathematics the
Office al Topeka is reduced to the
second class, and not only made
second TO Leavenworth and At
Atchison, but even placed below such
towns as Lawrence, Emporia and Wich-
tia, is q matter that appears TO be
shrouded in mystery. The fact is well
known and susceptible of proof that the
business of the Topeka office exceeds by
far that of any office in Kansas, and is
not equalled by any Office in the United
States IN city of the same population
The amount of business OF the Atchi-
son, Lawrence. Emporia and Wichita
offices is not given in the postmaster
generals report, but all of them are far
below Leavenworih, which pays less
than half the net revenue derived by the
| department from Topeka.
Every body who has any knowledge oi
postoliice affairs knew at once that
when Topeka was given in the list at
$2,7O0 a mistake WAS made either i'll the
printing or the department. The fixing
of the salary is governed by law ell
tirely. The Topeka office has
been in the first class for two
years at least 1t could not have the
free delivery system unless 1t WAS first
class offic. This the editor of the
Capital certainly knew Tor he has but |
recently left the Office. We have no |
doubt but that the Topeka office does 10y |
far the largest business i'll the Slate. To
intimate, IA We understand some have,
that fayoritism or unfairness has been |
shown in fixing the salaries of these |
offices is To implicate the highest post |
Office authorities, Tor they alone fix the |
salaries under the law, and they ale |
bias, Il un the business ol an office as |
shown by the official returns from that |
Office FIR the year previous to the read
iuslncnt. We have not the law at |
hand which regulates this matter, but |
can stale the substance of it. The pay OF |
presidential offices is an amount not To |
exceed 81, $50, to which Is added the |
box rents of the office. When The sales |
of stamps, stamped envelopes, postal
cards, etc, amount TO over $4,000, per
year, there is added between $4,000 and
$4,000, a commission of one per cent,
SO that if an office sells $4,000 worth of
postal goods there would be added to the
post masters salary one per cent. on &c.
600 of the amount, making $50 per year.
From $4,000 to $4,000 there is added
to the salary on all above $4,000 one
sixtieth of one per cent, and so ON up to
the hundreds of thousands and millions.
For instance, if the EnporIa office gets
from the government, as a fixed salary,
$3.50, and say 800 as a per cent. on the
sales of goods, aud its box rents were
$1,460, the salary would be
$4,000. In other words, the govern
ment would pay $3.50 and use
the postmaster's own personal property, |
because he must own his boxes, TO make |
up the balance of his pay. This is just |
the state OF the case. This is all fixed |
by law and cannot be varied |
unless the officers at Washington |
are dishonest, which they are not. |
There is no department of the |
government administered with more
strict honesty than that which has
charge of the great mail affairs of the
country.
Now, a WORT as TO the business
of these offices. The Capital seems
to think that the business of the Empo
ria office is far below that at Leaven-
worth, and gives the net revenue of
Leavenw0rth for the year 1891 ut 3d.
1877. We have not time to- day to look
the matter up, but can state that the net
revenue of the Emporia office for that
year was but two OF three hun
bred dollars less than $4,000. |
This year it will be in the neigh |
borhood of $4,000, so that it will be
seen that EmpOria is not so very far be-
hind Leavenworth after all. Counting |
Topeka in the firstclass, where it has |
been for two years and undoubtedly is |
yet, Notwithstanding the Kansas City |
journals figures, and we express the |
opinion that the net income from the |
EmporIa office is larger than that of
any other office in the state. Six |
years ago EmpOria was in the third class |
with no allowances except enough to pay |
one clerk When Emporia began to
grow in the fall of 1876 the business of
the office began to increase, and it has
bounded steadily forward. At the pres
ent rate of increase Emporia will take
her place in the first class list at the next
readjustment in July, 1884.
1t must not be concluded that a post
masters real pay is his salary. Out of
that comes many of the expenses of the
office, such as clerk hire, fuel, lights,
stationery, repairs, interest and wear and
tear on his furniture, very considerable
item.