St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-27
The Third and Fourth Glass Postmasters
to Hold a Convention in
Chicago.
They Think They Are Disseminated
Against by the Government in Ex-
ira Allowances.
A Missourian With an Office Almost
Within His Grasp Sees it Slowly
Receding.
Rumor That Secretary Manning is
About to Retire--B Bushyhead's
Petition.
The Plant of the Postmasters.


WASHINGTON, Oct. 26.-Officers at the
postOfice department are not at all sur
prised to learn that the third and fourth
class postmasters are going to have con-
vention in Chicago just before congress
meets for the purpose of making concerted
demand on congress for allowances. They
have been complaining to the department a
good while, but the department cannot help
them. At the department it is not thought
practicable to do much for fOurth-claSS post
masters. There are nearly 80, 900 of them
and it would cost too much to allow them
rent. Most of them do not need it. The
demands of the Office for space are so mod
crate that they can have offices in their
houses or stores. Most of them want the
postoffices in the stores to help trade. The
fourth-class postmasters get gross receipts
of the Office up to 1000 a year and most
of them above that figure. In case of
poStmasters at larger fourth-class offices,
the fact that the government does not allow
anything for rent is hardship, because
offices often take up too much space to be
accommodated for nothing, and in many
cases the postmaster has to pay rent out of
his own pocket, but then in small towns
rents are low, and the postmasters who get
$500 to $1,000 a year can afford to pay a
little for rent. Office rent is only paid fol-
first and second-class offices. At its last
session congress authorized the department
| to make rent allowances to third-claSs
offices out of the appropriation for rent
FOR FIRST AND sECoND-CLAsS OFFICES,
but those classes had to be taken care OF
| first, and Of course there was nothing left
over for the third-class offices. In regard
to other allowances, congress might dc
something for the relief of the oppressed
postmasters. AS it is now, a Second-class
| postmaster on $4,000 year can get allow
ances for clerk hire. rent, fuel and lightS
and stationery. while a third-clasS post
master, ON $1,000 year, has to pay al
these expenses out of his own pocket, eX-
cept that some items of stationery are al
| lowed him. Naturally he thinks he is very
unfairly treated as compared with neighbor
ing postmasters, who get 500 more
salary The third-class offices are no
so numerous but that congress might NEE
some of the poStmasterS' expenses without
adding very largely to the total cost. Bu
! the fact that during the last fiscal year tht
revenues of the postal service fell far shor
of expenses, and this year the situation i.
not certain to be much better, may make
congress reluctant to grant the postmaster
| the relief they seek. But as the politica
complexion of the fourth-class postmaster
is rapidly taking on the hue of the house O
representatives, this class of public servants
may expect to be treated with greater con
| sideration than in years past when tht
| postmaSters were the political agents of al
| administration to which the house of repre-
| SentatiVeS was opposed.