The San Francisco call., 1896-01-17
The Men Who Handle the
Mails Want Their Pay
Adjusted.
CARRIERS DOING QUIET WORK.
Grievance of Uncle Sans Postoffice
Employees Lies in Present
Classification.

| legislation from this session of CONGRESS-.
These are the railway mail clerks, the
postoffice clerks and the letter-carriers.
Each has a strong National organization,
and each could bring powerful political
pressure to bear upon the Senators and
! Representatives now in the National
capital.
The chief grievance of the postal en-
ployes is the system of classification now
in vogue. 1t is claimed that as at present
classified the men who handle Uncle
SANS mails are not compensated accord
ing to their just deserts, considering the
time, labor, ability and responsibility re-
CURED of them.
OF the three branches that of the mail
carriers is the only one which feels that it
must not press its demands. Some time
ago it was learned that Postmaster General
! William Wilson was not kindly disposed
toward any concerted movement in an
active sense by the carriers in the direc-
ton OF legislative relief, and the carriers
have gov erned themselves accordingly and
deferred to Mr.. Wilson's wishes in this
matter.
The explanation of Mr.. Wilson'S posi-
ton which has since been given is that
the postotfice clerks must first be attended
to, seeing that in the past the carriers had
been fairly well taken care of by the Ma
tlon's lawmakers. In quiet way, how
ever, the carriers are still working toward
their desired ends, but no active effort as
an organization providing for the lobbying
! through Congress of any particular bill is
| being made in the open.
| What the carriers want is substitutes to
| be put on the payroll at 5000 year, and
| the present pay for the men in active sery-
n hn Jr1n Cpd
very good luck the best average pecuniary
! success for substitute on a monthly basis
| has amounted to only S35, but his services
may not be called into requisition at all.
and In that case he gets no more than the
81 per annum to which the Government
| has pledged itself in establishing its con-
tract with him.
On his entrance to active service carrier
is paid at the rate OF 5000. After six
months toll from house to house this is
increased to $500, and at the end of the
| year his salary is fixed at $1,000 annually
for all time. These figures the carriers
| would like to see raised to $500, $1,000 and
| $1,000 respectively. They would also ike
! to see pension fund established for the
benefit of men who have devoted fifteen or
twenty years of their lives to the mall
bag.
The department at Washington looks
upon the efforts of the postoffice clerks
and the railway mali clerks with much
more favor. Both organizations have bills
before Congress providing for general re-
classification and more reasonable ad-
| justment of compensations. In the case
OF the postoffice clerks though, there are
| some differences of opinion between their
organization and the departing as to
the degree OF relief possible, and two bills
| aave been pre- pared in consequence.
| The bill the postoffice clerks are de-
SlrOnS of HAVING the nrPSent Con
was drawn up at the last National conven-
ton, held in st. Paul, MINI, during Sep
tember. Alex Imbrie was the delegate
from this City to that convention and he
was one of the committee of five which
drafted the bill. The other mem bers
| of Rutland, Vt, II. Schaumloeffel of Kan
| sas City and John B. Whettle of Baltimore.
To carry its system Of classification into
effeC: it calls for an increase of about $4O0,-
600 to the general postoffice appropr1a-
ton, and under it every employe i'll first
class offices would be practically assured
in time of an annual salary of $1,000, and
clerks in second class offices of a compen-
sation of $500, OF the $400, 900 half the
amount would be needed to bring the
minimum salaries in frst-class offices up
to 5000.
Perhaps the best idea of the scope OF the
| measure can be gained from the conclud-
my respecting Inc enp1OyeS OF
hrSt-class offices, as follows:
All employees Except messengers, watchmen.
laborers, janitors. auxiliary clerks, clerks in
charge of stations and stamp agents. in the
service on July 1, 1886, receiving less than
5000 per annum, and all en-
tering the service after July l, 1896, at a sal
ary less than 5000 shall receive an annual IT.
crease of at least 500 per annum until their
salaries Eshau amount to 5000; and after re-
ceiving $900for at least one year they shall re-
ceive $1,000, providing they working in
class the maximum pay OF which Is more than
5000, and provided they shall have served five
years continuously as employees.
All promotions to the higher grades and
classes shall be made upon basis OF efficiency
AID length of service under such rules as the
Postmaster-General may prescribe. No en-
ploye shall receive a less salary after the pas
sage OF this act than he was receiving prior
thereto, and no employe shah be reduced from
higher to lower grade class after his
assignment thereto unless properly reduced
by reason of inetficiency or inability to per
form the duties connected with such higher
grade or class.
Francisco Postoffice. The local branch of
the Postoffice Clerks Association will meet
Thursday evening at its clubrooms, in the
old Merchants Exchange building, on
Battery and Washington streets, and
some action with reference to obtaining
the support of the California delegation in
Congress for the bill will then be taken.
''The bill practically divides the clerical
branch into two great classes, one to re-
ceive salaries ranging from 5000 to $1,000,
and the other $1,000 to $140O AS we are
now, a man might serve four years at
5000, and then four or five years at $500
before getting as high as $780,"
The local branch of the Railway Mail
| Clerks Association will meet in Assistant
Superintendent Lewis office Saturday aft
ernoon to agree upon circular letter to
the Congressman in behalf of their partic-
ular bill. For several sessions the railway
mail clerks have had this measure before
Congress, and IL has been twice passed bv
the Senate, the last time as Senate bill sd
1t has been indorsed, successively. bv
stmaster-Generals Villas, Dickenson.
Wannamaker and Bissell, and favorably
considered by the House committees of
the Fiftieth, Fifty-hrst, Fifty second and
Fifty-thirG Congresses, but because of
technical objections the House has so far
failed to pass it. 1t is now known as
House OF Representatives, bill No. L.
1t provides for ten classes, salaried thus:
| $500, $500, $1,000, S1100, $1,000, $1,000, $140O,
$500, $1,000 and $500. The second-class
is to be based on a mileage of from eighty
to 100 miles; the third-class, 100 to 110
miles and the fourth-class ITO tn 130