Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-11-25

MANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
CONGRESSIONAL ACT o N-THE
OFFICE OF CARRIER SERGEANT
URGED IN CITIES HAVING FIFTY
OR MORE CARRIERS.
Washington, November 24.-First
Assistant Postmaster General Perry S.
Heath has completed his annual report.
except the portions relating to military
postoffices at the army camps and in
the Antilles and Philippines, and the
rural free delivery service, both OF
which await further advices. The gen.
eral business of the department shows
an increase of over six million dollars
during the fiscal year. In all depart
ments of the service the influence OF
prosperous times has made itself ap-
parent. This year there were 1885,
O78 domestic money orders issued,
against 25, 1863 ,055 last year; the amount
carried was s191, 1854, 121. against $174,-
4S2,676. There were 1888 new money
order offices established.
uC AOi OOA0ASS
sional action are numerous and in
teresting. Mr.. Heath recommends that
clerks in postoffices be classified and
placed upon a fixed scale of salaries
similar to that of letter carriers so as
to give fair prospects of advancement
and certainly of compensation. AT
present there is no rule or system for
the grading of clerks at postoffices. 1t
is contended that an efficient postofflce
clerk is the peer of letter carrier
and that there should be no discrlmi-
nation in the pay or privileges accord
ed to either class. The hours OF LABOR
of letter carrier are limited by law
to eight hours 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
fifty thousand dollars is requested for
the employment of substitute clerks
to allow vacations. An appropriation
of 81 100000 an increase of 100000
over this year, is recommended for the
next fiscal year for clerk hire. Con-
gress having appropriated 100000 less
than the department estimate for clerk
hire during the past fiscal year, con-
siderable embarrassment has ensued
in meeting emergencies incident to the
great increase of public business.
The consolidation of postoffices is
again recommended. Congress is ask
ed to repeal the law forbidding the
abolition of a postoffice located at any
county seat by consolidation of post
Offices. The abolition of small post
Offices contiguous to large office hav-
ing free delivery and the establishment
of stations and sub-stations in lieu
thereof, Mr.. Heath says, has been found
to result not only in a vastly i'm
proved public, service. but in sub
sires authority to continue this plan.
Authority is asked to make the clerk
hire appropriation apply to all classes
of postoffices. At present an allow
ance for clerk hire can only be given
to first and second-class postmasters.
Many third-class postof1ices which only
escape by few hundred dollars of re-
ceipts from being included in the sec
ond-class have SO much business that
it is impossible for any one person to
properly attend to it and the postmas-
ters are constantly compelled to pay
for such clerical help as they need out
of their own salaries. There are 2,910
third-class postoffices, 100 second
class and 176 first-class. One result
claimed is that it would remove the
temptation for postmasters to pad"
their receipts or to fraudulently in
crease their apparent revenues so as
to get into the second-class.
Free delivery was extended during
the fiscal year to fifty-nine offices. Ad-
ditional offices entitled to free delivery
number 10. During the current fiscal
year service has been established at
thirty-four Of these offices, leaving sew
the department. The first assistant
postmaster general recommends mod
iication Of the eight hour law as ap-
piled to letter carriers so as to provide
forty-eight hours for six days work,
and only as many houres on Sunday
within the eight hour limit as are abb
solutely necessary for the requirements
of the service. This recommendation
is in accord with the views expressed
by the convention of postmasters re-
Gently held at Detroit, and it is be-
lieved its adoption would meet the ap-
proval of the letter carriers themselves.
Mr.. Heath recommends an additional
grade of carriers, to be known as car
rier sergeants in all cities having fifty
carriers of more, and that these posi-
tons be assigned by competitive exam
ination among carriers who have
served five wears Or mora Tho