The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-08-29
THE POSTAL CLERK.

publication: The impression generally
prevails that the boys on the mail routes,
as well as the postmasters, clerks, car
riers and all employees in aud about the
post Office and mail service haye an easy
and jolly good time. 1t will be apparent
to every thoughtful person who shall
peruse the following that, so far from
this being the fact scarcely auy class Of
men engaged tn the various callings of
civilized life have greater responsibility,
require the exercise Of more constant Wig
ilance, work more hours per day and re-
ceive more meagre compensation for
their services than the route agents,
postal clerks and employees of the railway
mail fervice. The article appeared first
in a recent number Of the Railway Mail
Service Bugle. 1t will richly repay
perusal:
First. We must be sound in body and
limb, for the work we are called on to do
requires strength and activity. 1t takes
muscle to handle tie-sack after tie-sack
full of papers, and If we were not active
and quick we would never get our work
done on time.
Second. We must possess great pow
ers OF endurance, for we are obliged to
work, in = standing position, on fast
moving train, and to keep at it, many of
us for twelve, fourteen or sixteen hours
at time, and without any let up to the
work that keeps pouring in on us from
every junction point, or wayside station.
We DO not work on the ten hour system,
neither are we interested in the eight
hour question. That may do for navy
yard workmen, custom house employees,
or department clerks at Washington, but
the mail service is not conducted, nor can
it be on that issue.
Third. If we make successful, effi-
cient clerks we must not only like to
work, and work hard, but we must love
study and hard, incessant study at that.
Many people seem to believe that when
one has learned the postoftice and mail
routes of his state, that his studying is
done and oil he has to do is to get into
his car and throw his mail accordingly;
but they are very much mistaken in this.
Our lesson is never learned. There is
something new each week; there are
new postofflces to be learned; there are
changes in, the time of mail trains that
we have to study up-learn our new con-
nections and forget the old ones. The
star routes, too, are being changed all the
time. Yes, my good sir, you who receive
your mail once or twice Il week at some
country postoffice miles away from the
sound of passing trains will be surprised
to know that every postal clerk in the
state must know where your office is To-
Gated and from whpt railroad town your
mail comes. But it is not only one
state We have to learn in this way. The
great majority of us are obliged to learn
from three to ten states, or from three to
ten thousand offices. Is it any wonder
then that the postal laws and regulations
forbid us engaging in any other occupa-
ton, but insist on our devoting our time
off duty to rest and study. So while we
are on the train it is hard work, incessant
work and also rapid work. 1t will not
suffice to be merely rapid worker; we
must be an acute one as we'll; and when
VIC are off duty there are schemes to cor
rect, time cards to study, new offices to
learn, changes i'll our express pouchiny
system to study and preparation to make
for our next run. You who read this
must not imagine that postal clerks are Il
discontented, unsatisfied set of GROWERS.
We are proud of our work and are study
ing and working hard to give the people
the best possible service in our power.
We realize the fact that there is no
branch Of the public service SO intimately
associated with the people; that so close
ly touches every fireside as ours. From
the fond mother, who with clumsy pen
writes to her loved one monthly letter,
to the merchant prince with his scores of
letters daily, all are entitled to prompt
and efficient service, and all are willing
that we should receive adequate COM
pensation for the same. A careful study
of the question will convince any candid
observer that the same hard work and
study, the persistency that is necessary to
success in the mail service, will receive
much greater compensation in other avo-
cations. For example: take our CONNER
cial travellers. The man who represents
a grocery house makes his regular trip
each month; has some time at home af-
ter each trip; yet on an average draws a
larger salary than the postal clerk. The
dry goods man will only travel eight or
nine months a year, yet his salary will
range from twelve hundred dollars to
twice that sum and sometimes more.
The boot and shoe man, or clothing man,
makes his semi mi-annual tour and draws a
salary equal to or greater than his dry
goods neighbor, while postal clerks re-
ceive salaries varying from six to thir.
teen hundred dollars. They work harder
and more days in year than commercial
travellers and draw less money. Anothc,
point just here: the commercial traveller
has his necessary travelling expenses paid
while at work, but postal clerks have tc
pay their own hotel bills. There are bu
few mail runs SO arranged that we can be
at home every night. On almost all run!