The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-01-04
False Economy.

ter postage from to 2cents for each half
ounce or fl action thereof. Ifso il will be done
in the interest Of u false economy. We doubt
very much whether members OF Congress
or the Post Office Department have given
this subject that broad consideration its
Importance and relations to human life de-
mand. It has been the ambition OF each
head of the Post Office Department for
many years to make the service self-sus-
tanning. in order to prevent the deficiency
appropriations which have been called for
from the foundation OF the government un-
til the last appropriation bill was framed.
This merely dollars and cents view of the
question will do very well where dollars
and cents only are considered But there
are other interests which should not be
overlooked far more precious and deeply
duplicating the welfare OF community
Very = few think OF the wear and
tear of human life which are involved
in the economic arrangements that enable
the Department. to report surplus reve-
nue.. II is the result OF inadequate, and
consequently overlooked force in almost
every first and second-class Office in the
country, There is no service OF the gov
eminent so exactipg. There is no other
branch which demands such incessant and
careful applicstion, and there is no other
class OF employees SO poorly paid for the
services rendered. In conversation with
Ex-Post Master General James, some
months ago, he informed US that many if
not most OF the clerks in the New York
Post Office were kepta their work four.
teen hours out Of each twenty-four. and
from inquiry and observation we are in
clined to the belief that this is the-ca in
a majority of the first and second-class
post offices in the en1ire Union. This re-
suits from the inadequate allowances made
to these Offices for the business to be
transacted, in order to enable the depart
ment 10 present a favorable balance sheet
at the close Of the iscal year! This is not
ing. 1t is placing human life secondary to
filthy lucre, and extracting from commli-
nifty d vital force far more essential to
the public welfare and to civilization than
the dollars and cents saved Railroads
and telegraphs are educating the people
up to increased demands on the postal SER
vice, and the public expects the agents Of
the department to be equal to these
demands. let the waste of human
life be what it may. But there should
be a limit to this. The peoples money
should be appropriated to pay the SER
wants who labor for the people. and to re-
quire of them no more sacrifices than are
demanded from other channels of business.
The first consideration should not be how
the department can be made self-sustain-
ing, but 1t should be to give to the service
the amount needed to meet its demands,
without requiring of its employees to de-
vote to the work more time than the rules
of health will admit.
| Reduced postage and self sustaining de-
partment mean over-wprk to postal and
post office clerks-mean exactions VIII ich
the human constitution cannot stand and
maintain its normal vigor and usefulness.
No interest of community-Ho wise policy
| OF government demands it, and Congress
will fall short of its duty if il does not take
into consideration this higher view of the
| subject. Ample allowance should be made
for the work to be performed in post Of
| fees and postal cars, so that each clerk
would be called on to work a reasonable
| number Of hours each day at adequate
| pay. This should be one of the FIRST con.
siderations, and after this, should there be
surplus revenue from the operations OF
the department, then it would be time
enough to consider the expediency Of re-
ducing the rate of postage. But there is
no justice or sound reason in demanding
that postal and post Office clerks shopld
work from twelve to fourteen hours each
day, Sunday not excepted, in order to
| justify a reduction of postage, and at the
same time preserve self-sustaining depart
ment. The people do no not demand this.
They are willing to pay for the accommo-
dations they receive through the postal
service, increasing as they are with the
ramificatiOns of railroad and telegraph
lines, and do not ask that one man shall
do two mems work for one mans pay, in
order to present an exhibit of economical
| administration as the result Of the sacri-
| flee of human life and the destruction OF
vital force implied in overwork of any
kind.