Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-09-27
Postal Department. Calls Attention
to the Eight Hour Law.
MAY HIT THE COUPON SCHEME"
Is Said to be Unlawful and May Merit
Future Notice at the Hands Of the
artments-Receipts for Keys
Discontinued.

will not be permitted to work on an
average of more than eight hours each
day. That is, the Ottumwa mail car
rlers may work overtime one day but
the next it is expected that there will
not be so much to do and the law Of
averages will step in and adjust it so
the department will not be compelled
to pay for overtime.
Something is also said in the Guide
concerning the we'll known coupon
scheme, and the use of receipts is
sued for keys to delivery boxes.
Eight Hours Work.
The postoffice department has re-
Gently adjusted some claims for over
time by letter carriers, and according
to the guide the same authority is de-
termined to so arrange matters that it
will not happen again. First Assistant
Postmaster General Heath calls atten-
ton to the eight-hour law as applica-
be to carriers, and says that carriers
will continue to work on an eight-hour
schedule, but that no carrier should be
scheduled for more work than he can
perform efficiently on an average of
eight hours day for six days. 1t will
not be necessary, however, for the car
rier to return mail to the office to
avoid working more than eight hours
on day when the mail is unusually
heavy, for the extra time thus employ
ed will be offset by the underline of
some other day in the week when the
mail will be light enough so that the
days work can be completed in less
than eight hours. In other words, car
riers will be expected to work on an
average of eight hours day, but must
not be permitted to work over forty
eight hours during the six working
days of any week.
1t is the desire of the department
that Sunday service be reduced to the
minimum. At Offices from which mail
is dispatched on Sundays, collection
should be made from all street letter
boxes in time for the most important
dispatch, and where there is a demand
for Sunday window service, it should
be provided, but the carriers should
only be required to remain at the Of
flee long enough to prepare their mail
for delivery, and deliver it thru the
carriers windows. Under no circum-
stances should any time be consumed
on Sunday in the performance of work
which rightfully belongs to other days
of the week. The practice at certain
offices of requiring letter carriers to
come to the Office Sunday evening for
the purpose or routing mail for deliv-
cry Monday morning must be discon-
tinued. Where it is possible arrange
ments should be made to have carriers
alternate in performing Sunday ser.
vice, relieving certain number of car
riers from duty each Sunday. Holt
day service should consist under ordi-
nary circumstances of one general de-
livery and collection from all letter
boxes for the most important outgo-
ing mails. Only under extreme Cir
cumstances should more than one coli
lection be made on holidays, and eff
forts should be made at all offices to
reduce the holiday service, like the
Sunday service, to the minimum. Car
riers must not be allowed to work in
excess of eight hours on a holiday, ev-
en- on Christmas.
Receipt Discontinued.
The use of receipts in connection
with the collection of deposits for keys
to delivery boxes and the redemption
of such keys, has been discontinued.
A correct record of each key and key
deposit transaction must be kept at
edCn pOSCOIlCe.
The Coupon Scheme.
There will be less of the coupon"
scheme if the government gets after
the promoters, as it surely must, the
mails being used, it is said, for fraudu-
lent purposes.
For some time coupon scheme,
similar to the endless chain OF letters,
has been advertised in the newspap-
ers,, and it's advertisements are now
being published broadcast. The idea
is worked like this: A concern adj
yertises to give some valuble conces-
sion or merchandise for few cents,
or even for nothing, and publishes the
advertisement widely. A person look
ing for something for nothing, hard
thing to find, is sent letter in reply
inclosing number of coupons in
book, sometimes three, sometimes as
high as five or ten. He is to pay, per-
haps, cents for the coupons. Each
of these he is to sell to friend, for,
say SO cents, and when he has sold all
three and sent the money to the firm
he receives the goods. The latter are
usually of such quality that profit
of several hundred per cent is realized
from them. The coupons which are
sold by the hrSt enCltleS eacn OF MS
friends to another book OF coupons,
which they can sell in similar manner,
thus getting their own money back and
another package of the goods. In the
end the proprietors, when they have
sent out sufficient number of cou-
pons and returns begin to slacken up,
disappear without redeeming outstand-
ing liabilities. In the list of articles
which some of these firms have offer
ed has been jack knives, fountain pens,
silk petticoats shirt waists and gloves.
To foist such a scheme is said to be
directly in violation of the postal laws,
and the business may be stopped by
the government one of these days.
Republican Meetings.
Congressman Thos. Hedge will