The Penn's Grove record., 1884-08-09
The Gstter-C Carrier

"Perhaps you think it a bed of roses, "
remarked a letter-carrier yesterday, re-
ferring to his position.
The reporter confessed ignorance on
the subject.
"lfitls continued the 'boy in gray''
somewhat gloomily, "all l have to say is
that every rose in it is in keeping With
the general rule-It has its thorns. |
have to be at the office at Gas sharp, so
as to be ready to start out at 9 O'Clock
or sos at the latest. If | am five min
utes late, unless l have a very good eX-
cuse, a substitute is put on in my place,
and l lose half a days wages. l receive
$500 per year and consequently lose
Sl.10, with the man who receives 81, 900
per year it amounts to S1.37 and with
the mea who receive S600-well, We
won't say anything about them, they
haven't enough pay to stand it. AS
you probably know, we-get $500 for the
first years service, $500 for the second
and 1000 for the third-that's as far
as we go, We get through, on an av-
erage, at about 6 O'Clock. A carrier on
a business route makes SIX trips a day:
on a house route four.
(Which is the more dlflicultp"
"A business route, decidedly, for one
has so many more stairs to climb.
Mine isA business route, and l deliver
on an average at least l 100 mail pieces
in a day, to do which l am obliged to
walk fully fifteen miles. This l must
do, of course, in all sorts of weather,
whether the thermometer Is way up
in the nineties or below zero. A carrier
on a house route can only deliver be-
tween 800 and 1000 pieces a day, the
distance being 50 much greater. Some
times, of course, he will pass a dozen
houses without delivering a single let
ter, and his progress is necessarily
slower.
"If a man is sick he loses his pay en-
tlrely, that is. for the time he is away.
a house route $500 MANI loses Al cents
for each trip he IS away-you can figure
what tbe o+hars lose Yourself.
"Do you have many anoyancue while
going your rounds?"
ga great many. One is frequently
stopped with the question: Anything
for me today? and is expected to unite
his bundle and run rel all his letters
for the questioner. Then some lady
will say: 'Postman, will You please
mail these letters at the corner for me2'
or viii you stamp these letters when
you get to the office: here's the money!
etc. OF cource l don't mind doing a
lady a favor occasionally, especially if
she is young and good looking, but you
have no idea how much extra work
these things make for us in the aggregate.
Why, I've often gone back to the office
moreheavily loaded than when | started
out-my bag just filled with letters to
be mailed. One would imagine we
were private servants as well as public
ones. One old fellow in business on n
of the streets always asks for letters
whenever he sees me, if L have just left
his office. He won't take no for an
answer, and insists upon my running
over my bundles before he is satisfied.
| am obliged to remember the names of
fully 5000 people on my route, but you
would imagine, from the questions peo-
pie ask me, that l was a travelling di-
rectory, for l am frequently asked
where Mr.. So-and-So orMiss So aud-So
can be found-people that l have never
heard of. Taken all in all, as perhaps
you can imagine, the position is one of
many trials, though it is true that there
are many applications for every
vacancy"