The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-12-11
EREE DELIVERY SYSTEM.
Superintendent Pollock's Annual Report
Evil Effects of .sOvertIme."


WASHINGTON, Dec. a-W j. Pollock,
the superintendent of the free delivery
system of the post Office department,
has made to First Assistant Postmaster
General Whitfield his report for the
fiscal year ended June 80, 1891 1t
shows that the mum Der of free delivery
offices in operation at the close of the
year was SIG, an increase of sixty-ive
over the preceding yeer. The cost of
this service was S9,O72, 06O, which is
S22, 424 less than the appropriation for
that purpose. The number of carriers
employed on June 80 was 10, 100, which
Is an increase of 1,O64 during the year.
The local postage for the year
amounted to S11,174, 754 The number
of pieces of mail handled were S,6O6,-
354, $50. Considerable attention is given
in the report to the subject of overtime
claims of letter carriers. Under the
act of May "a, 1883, limiting the hours
the carriers shall be employed per day.
the practical result of this act, the
report states, has been the fill
ing of an enormous number of
overtime claims, aggregating near
ly $500, 900, and this does not
by any means represent the maximum
amount of claims that are already pre-
pared and will be filed as soon as an
adjustment of the legal question pend
ing has been had. So many important
questions relative to the construction
of the act have arisen in attempting to
adjust these overtime clai ms that it has
been deemed best, in the interest of the
service and also as an act of justice to
the carriers, to await the construction
of the law by court having competent
jurisdiction. The report then goes on
to say:
I'm view, however, of the tendency
of the law to create these overtime
claims, and the certainty, judging from
past experiences, that they will arise as
long as the existing system continues,
and with the further unfortunate ex-
perience that the law puts a premium
on lettering and inefficiency rather
than affording an incentive for active
and efficient work, I respectfully sug-
that shall provide:
81 That no carrier shall be required
to work in excess OF fifty-one hours in
any week of seven days at offices hav-
ing necessary and unavoidable Sunday
service and not in excess of forty-eight-
hours in any week of six days where
such Sunday service is not required.
40. That in addition to the salaries
now provided by law, letter-carriers,
after four years service. may, upon a
certificate of the respective postmas-
tiers that they have been especially
faithful and efficient, be promoted from
S1.OOO to 81, zoo per annum, and that
when letter-carriers become unfaithful
and inefficient or untitled for active
work, they shall, upon the certificate
of the respective postmasters to that
effect be reduced to a lower grade
commensurate to their service, or re-
moved, as the equities of their case may
suggest
''Such an amendment would not only
provide a just recompense to faithful
and deserving carriers now in the SER
vice. but would tend to enlist some of
our ablest and best young men, and
stimulate all the carriers to earnest eff
forts in this important branch of the
public service In many of our Offices
a large number of men impose on
younger men, who are working at
minimum compensation, the great bur-
den OF the work"