The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-10-09
Iusrrcr TO posrmAsrERs.

Jlle country instead OF concentrating re-
formatory energy almost exclusively
upon the large cities has frequently been
pointed out. In an open letter by l. p.
Baldwin, postmaster. at Manassas, Va,
and published in the Gazette of that
place, appear many timely suggestions
as to the details of such Improvements,
together with plea on behalf of fourth
class postmasters which is deserving of
careful consideration.
Mr.. Baldwin contends with much JUS
tice that the postmaster of fourth
class Office is too little paid for the work
he is expected to do; and that the regu-
lations of the postal service discriminate
against him and in favor of the poStmas-
ters in the first, second and third classes.
The gist of his argument follows:
On an average over II 100000 pieces of
mail matter are distributed through the
mails every day of the year, large por.
ton of which is handled by fourJh-class
pOstmasters who are required to do
large amount of the work which first,
second and thTd-class postmasters get
paid for, and fourth-class postmasters
get comparatively nothing. For in
stance, four-fifths of all packages, books,
circulars, newspapers, sample copies.
pictures, magazines, maps, periodicals,
ETC., are mailed in the cities and large
towns at salaried Offices. At one end of
the route the postage is collected and
the work of mailing is done by clerks
paid by the government; and then, the
government gives the salaried postmas-
ter credit for it all, in computing and in
creasing his salary, which is adjusted
each year by the amount of gross re-
ceipts at his Office. At the other end of
the route the fourth-class postmaster is
obliged to furnish the room, take
charge Of, assert, box, handle and de-
liver nearly all this matter for which he
gets no pay. He is obliged also to re-
Ceive, back-stamp, box and deliver more
than half of the 100000 pieces of first
class sealed matter which pass through
the mail each day, on which there was
earned profit of S3O,O00,O00 the past
year; which sum, instead of being used
to pay those who did the work. was
spent largely in distributing mail mat
ter for the publishers of newspapers and
periodicals, the executive departments
and Congress.
Although every advance step taken
to improve the postal service adds moro
and more to the duties of the fourth
class postmaster without giving him an
equivalent" Mr. Baldwin observes that
it adds to the salary of the city pOstmas-
ter, whose compensation is apportioned
on the basis of receipts from al sources.
His complaint is that ''the fourth-class |
postmaster gets no credit for any in !
crease in his receipts in the adjustment |
of his income-althOugh it may take,
and often does take, quarter of his |
time in waiting on one and two-cent Gus
toners. His compensation is regulated |
by the amount of stamps cancelled at his |
office. For the thousands of letters with |
stamps mailed on the cars
near his Office he gets no commission.
He is forbidden on pain of removal
from soliciting business from persons
within the delivery of another office,
though he may work fourteen hours a
day and his pay be less than 500 year
net, while his brother postmasters
salary may be $4,000 or 81, 900 year"
MI. Baldwin proposes general con
ventiOn of fourth-class pOstmasters in
sometime next December to
to petition Congress for such alterations
in the regulations of the mail service as
will either adjust the pay of these
officials on the same basis as that de-
salaries in the higher grade
offices, or add to their commissions on
the cancellations. That this would be
fair and reasonable petition and that the
government owes to its faithful small
town postal servants some adequate re-
,Ognition of their excellent and often
self sacrificing work are readily appar-
INT facts. The country will approve
my reasonable concessions in their be-
lalf; indeed, it will insist that such con-
,essions shall be made as soon as the
conditions of the service will warrant.
In only one direction does Mr.. Bald
win fall into error, and that is where he
of the cheap rates of postage
imposed on periodicals. 1t is not, as he
lsserts, IAN incontrovertible fact that
he millions of letter writer's of this
country are taxed the mails run and
he 10000 fourth-class postmasters
worked largely for the benefit of news
PAPER men and publishers in the large
owns and cities, and that over $50, 0OO,-
700 of the revenue earned on letter post
Ige is expended for their benefit" To
ay that the publisher reaps the benefit
If the low postage on printed matter is
o assert that an memorable law of trade
itself in his case. Cheap sec
'nd-class postage can have no other
meaning than cheaper newspapers and +
to the reader. Mr.. Baldwin's
memory should carry him back to the
ime when the weekly newspaper that is
low an indispensable visitor to every
lome cost twice and sometimes thrice
What it costs at present. The reduction
n subscription price went hand in hand
With the reduction in postage rates. So
hat, instead of the millions of letters"
icing "taxedN for the benefit of "news- |