The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-10-05

The Post-rntsiiigencer last evening
ceived the following special dispatch from
O. NJ. Stewart postmaster Of Seattle who
Is now In Washington:
The postofiice department today issued
orders creating Seattle FIRST class free
delivery Office and Increasing the car
rfcrs' pay from October ~
Ever since the recent census showed
that Scatiie's population exceeded 5000
the limit for first class postoffice. both
Postmaster Stewart and hts assistant,
William J. Cokett, have been hard at
work by correspondence and otherwise
trying to secure for the Seattle office
It's proper rating. This would have been
done before this had IL not been for the
protest made by the Tacoma Chamber
of Commerce. which. while It accom-
plished nothing, succeeded In retarding
fnai results for three months and has
taken on from the salaries OF the post
office employees three months Of the in
creased wages given them under the new
classification which, instead OF dating
their Increased pay from July |. the date
OF the census enumeration, runs only
from October l.
The new rate OF pay for the carriers
will now be 500 for the FIRST year of serv-
Ice. $500 for second year and 1000 for
three years or more of service Out OF
the tbirty-six carriers now In the service
twenty-sighf In the second class OF the
total number about twenty-sIx viii go
into the hrst class or, In other words,
come under the 1900 a yenr rating. The
carriers work eight hours a day and
as they Will All get two weeks holiday
s ssinr. year ear, W Ray the new order q
While the Seattle ONCE can get along
fairly well with Its present force OF car
riers. 4 is .wcefuliy deficIent in the num-
Der Of its clerks. and. as Mr.. coikett stat
ed last evening In an interview the time
OF the clerks kept by the Bundy recorder
shows that they are averaging SAL hours
OF work each week. or over ten hours a
day. as against eight hours for the car
riers. Aside from that their labor Is
combining and very trying. necessitating
close application. The work has been
accommodating on them until an additional
of absolute necessity In order to give the
ONCE
During the f,rst week in October Of each
year this ONCE 10 Obliged to count all the
mail matter received or sent direct from
and to foreign countries Yesterday, for
instance. the Seattle Office received a
lsrss close mail from Australia by way
essary TO call back one OF the extra men
dropped and put him to work for one day
81 least. This Mr., coikett Is doing on
hts own responsibility. in order TO keep up
with the work. although he may have 10
pay him out OF his own pocket.
The truth OF the matter fs that the Sc
attic ONCE now has steady work for at
least four more clerks at the present av-
eraEe OF 6ia hours a week
The department In Washington il said
60 have recommended for the action OF
congress next winter the enactment OF
law making fcrty-eight hours the limit
OF weeks work for all postoffce clerks.
hrlnsfng their hours down equally to those
q the carriers, On this basis the Seat
tie postofIiee would be entitled 10 an adj
dillon Of fourteen clerks TO her present
corps OF forty-three. including stations
The wages OF the clerks range from $500
clerks