The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-28
UNCLE SANS WORKINGMEN
EMPLOYEES OF THE POSTAL DE-
PARTMENT.
Examination For the Service-A
Carriers Duties-HOurs and Wages
How the Mail is SOrted-Civil
Service-An Efficient Department.

Few persons know anything about the
inside workings of a postoffice. because
very few ever have a chance TO see IN
side of one.
To become an employee of the postal
system one must take the examination
which is given twice a year Any person
with a common school education should
be able to pass successfully the mental
part. He also must pass rigid physical
examination, and be man OF good char
acter. The ones who pass are put on the
! eligible list for twelve months, the one
| receiving the highest percentage being
called out first. He generally works as a
Sub until there is a vacancy. Subs
! have worked as long as forty months
! before becoming regulars.
AS carriers are working men, / will
deal with them rather, than the clerks.
must acquaint himself with the postal
rules and regulations, which fill a large
book. Special rules are constantly being
made at Washington, and old ones being
changed and dropped to meet the require
| merts of the work.
The first year carriers and collectors
receive 5000, the second year and after
$3.50 the mounted men $3.50 extra: In
cities of 5000 or over the salary is $1,000.
They furnish their own uniforms. They
work eight hours per day: but the work
twelve hours to do it. For instance he
might work two hours and wait an hour
before doing any more. The postmaster
can require him to work eight hours
every day in the year, except fifteen
DAYS vacation, which IS allowed him
with full pay. No matter how proficient,
or how long a carrier has been in the
service, he can't be transferred to an
other branch of the service. The post
master has not the power to discharge a
carrier That lies with the civil service oe
the rules. Incidentally, to show now
strictly the laws are enforced: Recently
a partisan postmaster, as soon as ne TOOK
charge of his Office posted up notce Tor
every employee TO hand in his resigna-
ton 1t wasn't three weeks betoreehe was
requested to hand in his own, and the
OF late years the free delivery system
has been extended and improved wonder
fully In the larger cities lock boxes are
almost done away with; "A A New ; or
of the service, said, that city letter
mailed in any part of that city WonIo
reach its destination almost as qul S;S,;I as
a message or a telegram. People living
in the suburbs can have their man
brought to their door. Wanamaker advo-
Gated country free delivery, but 1t dlcn
90 into effect as it would be expensive.
AS il is now there is a deficit each year.
1t is interesting to trace mail from tne
time it leaves the sender until IL reaches
the owner. It is brought IN by the coi-
and cards put through the cancelllrg ma
chine. Some can postmark 10000 in an
hour. and some as nlSH dS Icv'Vvv. A@eNSit
piece is registered by the machine, so
that a correct record is kept Of the hrst-
class mail handled by an office The
clerks take the mail as it is postmarrked
and separate it into case. ma1Ihg
case is an upright semicurcular desk nllIed
full of pigeon holes. Each hole is labeled
with the name OF a CITY, or a state, or
foreign country. The drop" letters are
handled by the city distributors. Their
cases are labeled with the number OF
the carriers and box sections. TWO or
three hundred boxes compose a section.
The carrier takes the mail from his
pigeon hole and cases it. His case is
labeled with the names Of the streets,
avenues, places and large buildings on
his route. Now he asserts or routes 1t
and il is ready to be delivered.
Civil service seems to be popular, as
would appear from the large majority IN
its favor in the late city election of
Chicago If it proves successful there,
other cities will be apt to follow her ex-
ample What wonderful improvement
in the country there would be If the
money, energy and ability that is de-
voted to politics, could be turned into the
channels of literature, art and commerce.
Tt would be such a delightful state OF al
fairs as Edward Bellamy pictures TO US
in his Looking Backward"
A SALT LAKE EMPLOYEE.