The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-11-17
Age when Length Of Age at
President Service. Death.
Postmasters' Salaries.

The readjustment of the salaries Of post
masters, that went into effect on October
4th, has proved very troublesome to large
number of people throughout the country
Some have been agreeably surprised, while
others have found their income visibly
shortened by the change. But why and
how was the change made? This ques-
ton is being constantly asked by rural cor
respondents of the postal authorities. An
official of the department recently put the
situation in a nutshell, as follows: The
change was the sequence of the reduction
of letter postage. Heretofore the salaries
of postmasters were adjusted every two
years; now they will be adjusted every
year. Formerly they were determined by
the amount received for box rents, &C.,
and there was a constant fight between
the postmasters and the public ON the sub
iect of box rents. There used to be thou
sands of complainints made to the depart
ment on account of extraordinary rentals
charged for boxes. Such troubles are
avoided by the new plan. The interests of
the postmaster and the government are now
identical, for the salary is a fixed one in all
presidential offices, that is to say where
there is as much as 81 900 per year paid.
Before the readjustment there were 2,176
of these offices, but in the changes twenty
five dropped below the $1,000 standard,
and fifty-four were added, SO that the Pres
ident has now 2,195 post-ohicial appoint
ments. The salaries of these officers ag-
gregate about $3,750,000 per year, while
the salaries of about forty-fve thousand
postmasters of the lower grades swell the
total of the amount paid for this sort of
work to about ten millions, or about two
fifths of the entire amout paid by Uncle
Sam to his ofice-holders of all kinds.
The manner in which the salaries of
postmasters are fixed, under the act taking
effect on the 1st of October, is as follows :
Where the gross receipts of an office are
81 900 per year, and do not exceed 81, 100,
the salary of the postmaster is 81 900 per
year. Where the gross receipts are from
$2,100 to $2,400 per year the salary is
81 100, and they go on increasing at that
rate. Where the receipts are $4,000 and
below $4,000, the salary is $4,000 a year /;
when it runs from $40, 900 to S45, 900 the
pay is $4,000 year. When the receipts
exceed $450,000 year the salary becomes
$4,000; when it exceeds $500, 900, and when
it reaches or passes 100000 the salary
becomes $4,000 per year. New York is
the only place where the receipts get above
the last mentioned figure, and the salary of
its postmaster is $4,000. The average sal
ary of the presidential postmaster" is
just about $1,700 per annum. The sala-
ries of postmasters of the lower grades are
fixed by allowing the following rates: For
the first $50 received in each quarter he
gets salary of $50. On the next 800
er less he gets go per cent; on the next
5000 he receives 80 per cent, and on the
balance 40 per cent This is on the re-
ceipts of the Office, box-rents, sale of waste
paper, and ''dead" newspapers, and all post
age stamps and postal cards mailed at the
office, in the quarter in which the statement
is made up. Among these offices the sal
aries of the postmasters are sometimes as
tonishingly small, particularly in remote
country offices, where the number of letters
mailed is extremely few, where there are
no boxes to rent, no waste paper to sell,
and the sole business of the office the de,
livery of few weekly papers, and the can
collation. of an occasional stamp. The
latest issue of the "Blue Book" " which
gives the salaries of all government officials,
shows that there were in the year prior to
its issue Al postmasters in the country
whose salaries for the entire year were less
than 81 each; II who received less than
25 cents for their years work, and that
Postmaster Sloan, of Perilla postoffice
White county, Tennessee, actually received
the munifcent salary of five cents for his
entire years labor in behalf of the commu-
nifty and the Postofice Department