Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-05
MEETING COMMERCIAL CLUB
Regulation of Freight Rates
Again Taken Up.
LETTER FROM GOV. MITCHELL
OF Florida, Asking that Delegates Be Appointed
to the parbor and Coast Convention
Relief for Postmaster


yesterday afternoon, with full attend
ance. President M. " Joseph presided,
and Secretary w. j. Boles was at the
desk.
Mr. b. B. Conner, of the finance COM
mittee, spoke in regard to the regulation
of freight rates. He said the Governor
in his message had inaugurated move
ment in that direction, and proposed that
the committee go before the legislative
committee and lay the matter before
them. This was agreed to.
Mr.. Steiner wanted to see if the powers
of the railroad commission could not be
enlarged
Mr.. b. Steiner said that year ago
trust had been committed to the club
that the Thomas Furnace company had
given the club valua Jle exhibit which
he had taken care of for a year at his
own expense. He wanted the club to
either take it off his hands or give it to
him and he would exhibit it at his own
expense.
Maj. Anderson thought the exhibit was
a loan, and not a gift from the Messrs.
Thomas. The secretary was requested
to investigate.
The secretary read a letter from a
party in Massachusetts desiring to es-
tabllsh an industry in Birmingham.
A letter was read by the secretary
from Mayor Evans In his last official
communication to the city council Mayor
VanHoose suggested that a committee of
fifteen citizens be appointed to confer
with the judiciary committee of the city
council and suggest amendments to the
city charter. Mayor Evans, referring to
this suggestion, said if the Commercial
club should appoint such committee that
the judiciary committee would be glad
to confer with them.
A letter was read from Mr.. ]. K. Nc
Donald, president of the Elyton com
pany, suggesting that the secretary be
requested to compile comparative state
ments of the number of men employed
in our industries in November, 1895, and
November, 1896.
Mr. Conner said fewer laborers were
employed now than in November, 1895,
and that the Tennessee company was
getting out $4,000 tons less of coal than
in that month.
Mr. Robert Jemison thought it would
be more valuable to compare 1894 with
1896. In November. 1895, the production
of coal in this district was at its maxi
mum; the rivers were frozen and Pitts
burg coal was shut out of the southern
market.
Mr. T. Fl. Moulton suggested a COM
parson of December, and December mo-
ton carried.
The secretary read the following COM
munication from Postmaster Copeland:
Mr. President and Gentlemen
Complying with a proper inquiry, I
On June 30, 1895, this office showed
gross receipts of money, $55.640.51.
On June 80, 1886, gross receipts showed
at $50, 1902.
The allowance for clerks in 1895 was
$11,519.23; for free delivery, s14,4Se.07.
The total expense was s29,7704S. This
left net profit to the government at this
office of S25,S7003.
I may say that every dollar Of this ex-
pense account was spent in Birming
ham.
The year 1896 the clerk hire had been
put at S10,100 free delivery, $14,436; to-
tai expense, 29,094.46; net profit to gov
eminent, $31 $685.
On November /, 1896, the clerk hire
was cut to $1,000, and three clerks were
discharged.
Bags, Letters Received.-This office re-
ceiVes forty-siX pouches of letters daily.
These pouches all together contain 12,-
500 letters. This requires the handling OF
500 letters an hour for the whole twenty
four hours. l have for this work one
day clerk and one night clerk
Papers Received and Worked.-We re-
ceive daily ninety-three bags of papers,
which contain about 10000 papers. This
does not include the daily and weekly
papers published here in the city. OF
these the Christian Advocate. Peoples
Tribune, State Herald and Sunday Morn
ing Star have heavy weekly mails.
Gross Receipts and Clerks Cut Down.
Thirteen poStoficeS in our suburbs send
all their mali mere TO De worked. JHeSG
thirteen offices cut off the gross receipts
of the Birmingham Office about 1855 per
month. In other words, they cut off our
gross receipts, and thus reduce our clerk
hire, and thus we have to do their work
with the reduced force.
Thirteen Offices Too Near.-The tbir-
teen Offices alluded to are Avondale
East Birmingham, East Lake, Ensley,
Elyton, Lewisburg, North Birmingham
Pratt City, Refuge, Rosedale, Thomas.
1Ja NTxyin
Mails Sent Out.-We send out from this
office daily forty-six pouches of letters
and seventy-six bags of papers.
REGISTER DEPARTMENT
Registers Received and Sent Out
This office receives about 400 letters and
packages by registered mail daily. About
the same number are sent out One
clerk has to do this work and keep
record of each piece and receipt and
take a receipt for each separate piece
This requires fully 500 book entries
day for one man, whose salary has been
cut from 81, 100 to $1,000, and who has to
make a large bond and be promptly re-
sponsible for losses and errors.
Money Order.--The money order de-
partment has only one clerk now. He
issues an average of seventy-six orders
daily He receives advices to pay and
pays an average of 1856 orders daily. He
receives deposits from seventy small
offices to meet the demands on him. He
lance. He has to balance his cash every
night, count it and take a receipt for 1T
itemized. He is responsible for errors
and losses. and receives salary or sS00
Heavy Cash misunderstanding Novem-
Der the daily cash balance turned In to
the assistant postmaster was $2,6yl from
money order clerk. This clerk has to
make a. daily and weekly report OF AS
work Respectfully.
n was decided that the president of
the Commercial club should confer with
the postmaster and get up the necessary
papers which would be submitted TO the
postmaster general through Congress
man Aldrich.
Gov H. L. Mitchell, of Florida, wrote
to the club suggesting that it appoint
delegates to the harbor and coast con-
yention at Tampa Fla, January 20. MT
Steiner moved that the president and
five other members to be appointed by
the president be requested to attend
Carried. -,
A communication from the Homeseek-