Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-14

EGHNW ~ erless in the hands Of
VT - a large body of strik-
4 ers. Local laws are
administered with a
certain prejudice; the federal Jaw is dealt
out without consideration for friend or foe.
The striking railroad hand fears the fed
eral officers and the possible body of regu-
lar troops behind them when local authori-
ties and the local militia have little infiu-
ence over him. That is why the labor
unions are trying to have Congress remove
the safeguards which surround the han
ding Of the mail to make 1t possible for
them to interfere with the operation of
the mail trains SO that railroad managers
will have to sidetrack all but the mail
cars and to send these cars through on a
special schedule or fail in their contracts
with the government. At present the rail-
way mail car is a part OF the train and il
the train is delayed the mail is delayed.
So the future of the great railroad strikes
In a great measure hinges on the relation
OF the Post Office Department to the rail-
road companies.
The railway mail cars are not the prop
erty OF the Post Office Department They
belong to the railroad companies ana ar.
operated under a lease. When the first
with the railroads no one looked forward
to the day when the Post Office Depart
ment would operate long trains of cars de-
voted entirely TO the handling OF the mails.
The first maids were carried in baggage
cars just as express matter is carried on
small roads. But SO much Of the work of
the Post Office Department is done en- route
today that 1t Is necessary that the depart
ment should have its own cars. These cars
are miniature post offices. In them mail
matter is received. sorted ana distributed
just as local or drop letters are handled
at local post office, but with this differ
ence. that while the local distributor mas
TO Keep IN mind only the arrangement OF
the streets OF a city with which ne is IA
millar. the railway mail CLERK mas to keep
constantly in memory the names of 12,UuO
or lo.VO post offices, many OF them with
connicting titles, and to know by just what
roundabout route each or them is to be
reached. The local distributor, TOO, does his
work between certain fixed hours. stand
ing on firm footing and with the prospect
Oh nome greeting awaiting him when MS
days labor Is over. The railway mail clerk
works at irregular hours often a day and
nlgnt without rest with the swayinS floor
ins OF d railroad car under 1901. and mis-
outlook at the end OF his route Is often
an iron bed on the top floor OF a post ONCE
building.
Plenty Of Applicants.
Although the post of railway mail clerk
is probably the most dangerous post in the
government service, there are always more
applications for appointments in the service
tnan there are vacancies to nil. Between
4,5VO and 500 applications for appoint
ments are made every year AS there are
only 1000 clerks. 4OU OF them substitutes,
in the whole service, and as the percentage
or removals is comparatively small 1t can
be seen easily that the proportion of these
applicants likely TO be appointed TO place
is not large. But when you eliminate the
number OF those who fail to pass the civil
service examination about one In three)
the number of those who decline appoint
ments after they have passed the examina-
ton. and the number of those who prove
physically or mentally deficient after enter
ins the service, there Is still a fair chance
for the man who possesses the needful
qualifications.
The civil service examination for railway
mail clerks Is comparatively simple. TIE
actual test of efficiency comes after the
preliminary work which follows appoint
ment All that the civil service commits
sion undertakes TO do Is to learn whether
an applicant is fairly well informed in or
biography, penrhanship, copying, letter
writing, arithmetic, geography, the railway
and other transportation systems OF the
United states. and Is reasonably proficient
in reading ordinary handwriting. The last
three are the only branches of the exam
applicable to the railway mail service. and
the Information which the applicant Is ex-
pected to possess is not much greater than
that which every well-informed man should
have. In the line of geography. the ex-
aminer is likely to ask the examined the
name Of the state Of his birth and the
boundaries Of it. the names Of two import
ant cities on certain of the large rivers, the
names OF the capitals of certain states, etc.
In the list OF railway and other transporta-
krow the names of the chief routes and
their connections and to make up a speci-
men route between two large cities.
When the applicant has written out the
answers to the first seven sets Of questions
the examiner takes him by himself into
examination room and hands to him fifty
cards on which addresses have been writ
ten as though they were on envelopes.
These addresses are in different hands and
they are written no more legibly than the
usual envelope address. The applicant has
ten minutes in which to read aloud to the ex-
aminer the addresses on these cards. His
re ading Is timed, and the mistakes he makes
are noted. This card reading counts one-flfth
Of the total in making up the record OF the
man examined. The Importance of this
reading Is exemplified by the fact that a.
soon as q man receives an appointment he
is put through another course of reading
by the chief clerk Of the division superin-
tendent, to whom he reports. If he under
goes this test satisfactorily, he receives q
route on which he Is to work. A railway
mail clerk does not have a choice of routes.
II there Is q vacancy on a route near his
home he is very likely to get 1t; but II the
vacancy is far from the place where he
lives the department requests him to move
over to the vicinity Of his route IL he &C
cepts. Sometimes the clerk prefers to de-
cline an appointment which is far from his
home and wait for another vacancy. This
does not prejudice him with the depart
n emit: in fact his name is left at the head
Of the list and the next appointment is
probably offered to him.
ThOwinG the Cards.
When the clerk receives the local
scheme" he studies 1t for several weeks
and then goes up for examination. pack
Of cards Is handed to him. These cards are
about the size Of a small visiting card, and
on each is the address Of post Office on the
line where the new clerk is to go to work
The clerk is placed in front of a specially
prepared case, equipped with about 200
pigeon holes. and he is expected to throw"
the cards into the appropriate compart-
ments--that is. to place each in the little
pigeon hole where II belongs.
The time he consumes in doing this is
noted md IL cd 70