The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-25
PoSTOFFICE STATISTICS
ANNUAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDA-
TIONS OF PERRY 5. HEATH.
Prosperity shown i'm All Departments
of the Postal service-PIea for
Better Pay for Clerks.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2.-E1rSt Assistant
Postmaster General p. S. Heath has COM
pleted his annual report except the portions
relating to military postoffices with the
army camps and in the Antilles and Philip
pines and the rural free delivery service.
both of which await further advices The
general business of the department shows
an increase of over $6,0o00OO during the
fiscal year. In all departments of the serv-
ice the influence OF prosperous times has
made itself apparent. This year there were
z7,79SO7s domestic money orders issued.
against Is, 169, O55 last year. The amount car
ried was $1s135412l, against $174,4S2676.
There were 2.35S new money order offices
established.
The recommendations for congressional
action are numerous and interesting. Mr..
Heath recommends that clerks in postofices
be classified and placed on a fixed scale
of salaries similar to that of letter carriers,
so as to give fair prospects Of advancement
and certainty Of compensation. At present
there is no rule or system for the grading
of clerks at postoffices. 1t is contended that
an efficient postoffice clerk is the peer of a
letter carrier and that there should be no
discrimination in the pay or privileges ac-
corded 10 either class. The hours of labor
of a letter carrier are limited by law to
eight hours a day. and he is allowed fifteen
days leave of absence per year. Postoffice
clerks have no limitation on their hours
and no vacation without loss of salary. An
appropriation OF $4,000 is requested for the
employment of substitute clerks to allow
vacations. An appropriation of 81, 500 900,
an increase of 100000 over this year, is
recommended for the next fiscal year for
clerk hire. Congress having appropriated
$SO0,00 less than the department. estimate
for clerk hire during the past fiscal year,
considerable embarrassment has ensued in
meeting emergencies incident to a great in
crease of public business.
The consolidation cf postoffices is again
recommended. Congress is asked to repeal
the law forbidding the abolition of a post
office located at any county seat by a con-
solidatiOn of postofiices. The abolition of
small postoffices contiguous to a large Office
having free delivery and the establishment
of stations and SubstatlOnS in lieu thereon,
Mr. Heath says, has been found TO result
not only in a vastly improved service but
in a substantial saving in expense. and he
desires authority to continue this plan.
Authority is asked to make the clerk hire
appropriation apply TO all classes OF post
offices. AT present an allowance for clerk
hire can only be given TO frst and second
class postmasters. Many third-class post
offices which only escape by a few hundred
dollars of receipts from being included in
the second class have so much business that
1t is impossible for any one person to prop
erly attend TO 1t, and the postmasters are
teal help as they need out of their own sal
aries. There are 2,9lO third-clasS poStofficeS,
$50 second class and 176 first class. One re-
suit claimed Is that 1t would remove the
temptation for postmasters to pad" their
receipts or to fraudulently increase their
apparent revenues so as to get into the sec
ond class.
Free delivery was extended during the
fiscal year to fifty-nine offices. Additional
offices entitled to free delivery number 10.
During the current fiscal year service has
been established at thirty-four of these
offices, leaving seventy-six to await con-
Sideration of the department.
The first assistant postmaster general
recommends a modification of the eight
hour law as applied 10 letter carriers so as
to provide forty-eight hours for six days
work and only as many hours on Sunday
within the eight-hour limit are abSo-
lutely necessary for the requirements of the
service. This recommendation is in accord
with the views expressed by the conven-
ton of postmasters recently held at Detroit,
and 1t is believed its adoption would meet
the approval of the letter carriers them
selves Mr.. Heath recommends an addi-
tional grade OF carriers. to be known as
carrier sergeants, in all cities having fifty
carriers or more, and that these positions
be assigned by competitive examination
among carriers who have served five years
or. more. The duties or these SergeantS
would be to supervise the work of letter
carriers on their routes and to investigate
complaints. He asks an appropriation for
salaries Of carriers at established offices for
the next fiscal year of S12, 697, 200 for the
salaries of letter carriers at new offices,
S0oVVo; Tor morse hire allowance, $4,000; car
fare and bicycles. $195,OG9: all other Incl
dentals. $4,000, making grand total for
this service of HI,512,200.
He recommends a repeal of the law re-
curing the use of the present form of
money orders in the interest of safety and
simplicity, and also authorization for the
use Of a postal check payable to bearer.
A detailed report of the operations of the
rural free delivery will be presented within
few days. Congress increased the appro-
priation for this purpose from $4,000 to
600, and Mr.. Heath recommends 10 view
of the success of the extension of the serv-
ice and the satisfaction 1t has given that
an appropriation of 10000 be made for
rural free delivery during the next fiscal
year.