The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-02-03
Postmasters and Their Salaries.

There are about go, 900 postmastes in
the United States. Those belonging to
the first, second and third classes, who
are appointed by the President, by and
with the consent and advice of the SEN
ate, comprise considerably less than one
twenty fifth of the whole number. Ac-
cording to the last adjustment Of salaries
made in 1884, the exact number OF post
masters in the three highest classes was.
2,292. The remaining twenty-four twen-
ty-fifths of the whole army Of postmas-
ters are appointed and removed by the
postmaster general. By the act of March
8, 1883, postmasters are divided into four
classes: Glass 1, including those:
whose salaries are So, 900 or more; class
2, those with salaries under .$3, 900, but
not less than So, 900; class 8, those with
salaries under $4,000, but not less than
81, 200; and class 4, those with salaries
under 1000. The salaries of the first,
second and third classes are graded in
agreement with an established though
somewhat arbitrary scale founded on the
gross receipts of the Office: Thus, to
entitle postmaster to rank in the first
class, with salary of s., 900, the gross re-
ceipts of his Office must exceed $40, 600
annually. In Offices where the receipts
are larger the salary is increased until the
gross income of the Office is over, $500, =
900, when the compensation of the post
master is fixed at SO, 900. The only ex-
ceptions to this rule are the salaries of
the postmastcrs of New York and of
Washington, which have been fixed by
special enactment-the former at $8, 600
and the latter at $4,000. Beside the
postmaster at New York there are but
five of these in the United States
who receive $4,000; these are the post
masters at Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Bos-
ton, St. Louis and Chicago. Two only,
in addition to that at Washington, have
$4,000; these at are San Francisco and
Baltimore All the others range at
lower figures. An Office with gross in
come of over $4,000 entities its post
master to rank in the second class, with
salary of $4,000, from which point
it is graded upward to 50, 900,
with income at $35, 200 to
$4,000. The third class fixes the
minimum of receipts at $1,000, salary
81, 900, and maximum at $4,000, salary
81, 900. The compensation of postmas-
ters of the fourth class is based upon
box rents collected at their Office and
commissions upon the amount Of can.
celed postage due stamps and on postage
stamps, official stamps, stamped enye.
lopes, and other revenues, exclusive OF
commissions on money orders and postal
notes, at the following rates On the
first $50 or less per quarter, 100per cent.
on the next 500 or less, sixty per cent.
on the next $500 or less, fifty per
cent, and on all the remainder forty per
cent. The salaries of all the postmasters
are adjusted by the postmaster general
once in two years, but special cases may
be adjusted at any time. For, whenever
the quarterly returns of any postmaster
of the third or fourth class show that the
salary allowed is twenty per cent. less
than it would be on the basis of commits.
sion, it is the postmaster generals duty
to increase the compensation without
waiting for the biennial readjustment.-
Inter- Ocean. .. ..,-er.