Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-26
COUNTRY P0STMASTERS.

just exactly where a fourth class post
master gets his pay. His patrons, more
often than cot, know the least about the
matter, and not many others know that,
humble as the fourth class office is, it
serves the greatest number of people In
the United States. There are over sew
enty Thousand of these offices, while
there are just $500 of the third, second
and first class, or salaried offices. The
lowest sa'ary paid these is $1,000, and
the highest salary is $1,000 year. The
fourth class officers must rustic for their
own pay. Sometimes that is as low as 81
a month, and sometimes as high as $50
month; that is. some offices send out
just that amount of cancelled letters each
month, but the fourth class postmaster is
not al owed to keep the $50 month; not
at ALL He keeps just 16 1-3 dollars as his
own clear cash, and every dollar over
that he divides UP with Uncle Sam. CIV
ing him 40 cents out of every 100 cents.
until his office gets to the Importance of
canoe ling over 1913 month then he must
hand over G. cents out Of the dollar in
s'ead of 40. Out of what is left he pays
his office rent his light and fuel bills
and his clerg hire when sick or absent.
The department furnishes nothing; not
even the box. except what stamps, postal
cards and other stamped paper he needs.
Very few fourth c'ass offices cancel
stamps to either the great or small
amount have ramed. The majority Of
them range from s. to $50 a month.
When an office averages about $40 a
month, then it becomes a money order Of
fee and while it's revenue toward the
postmaster's pay is not perceptibly in
| creased by this addition, his bond and re-
sponsibi ity are. Some years ago fourth
class postmaster was allowed a percen-
tage on all stamps he sold above the cam
collation., but it was found that he hust-
led around and offered inducements and
a share of the proceeds to those who
would buy many stamps from him. and
the department shut down on this. Now,
If he sells 81 worth of stamps day, but
only cancels on letters 10 cents worth,
10 cents is all he gets for that days work.
! The remainder of the 50 at the end of the
quarter goes to the department.
The fourth class postmaster is brought
in closer relationship with his patrons
than the postmaster of salaried Office,
and trials and tribulations are about the
extent Of his pay for this. He is expect
| ed to be ready for a social chat with
| them; to answer all questions; to write
many letters for those who cannot write
or have left spectacles at home; to ad-
wise them as to the best papers or maya
| zines for which to subscribe, and so on
and SO on. Besides this, he is to blame
| for all the mail lost or delayed: there are
always one or more women who accuse
| him of opening their letters; there is the
pompous citizen. who is very certain that
| l,o ~ -:
and the old fellow wose family take just
| one paper, and that a monthly, but every
day the old fellow would ask if that
"dod-rotted book of his had come yet?"
and though 1t never missed showing up
at the appointed time and he took home
| every copy of it. he would declare that it
| was the beatenest thing to miss he ever
| SCENT, and he'd be blamed If heidi ever
| take 1t again.
In the majority of these offices strict
ness is the rule. The fourth class post
master is called to tsk for neglect of the
! slightest duty the same as though the
| government was paying him a good SAL
AIRY for his work. But in very small Of
| fees I have heard of postmasters who
| have it all their own way. The office Is
| too small for a new postmaster to be cas-
| lily found if the old one is turned out, the
| patrons will not allow it to be discontin-
ued, and so the postal authorities turn
away nonp.ussed, and leave him to his
own devices. I heard of one postmaster
| Of this kind who shut up his Office to at
tend anything he felt was worth while
attending. He would go off a dozen miles
to show, prizefight or the county fair
and sometimes stay two or three days
and there was no getting in his office Ell
ther to get your mail or deposit letters
until he came back. Another postmaster
of this kind. having just loaned a friend
all the postal funds, amounting to some
81 or So an hour after saw a postoffice in
| spector making his way leisurely toward
The office. Knowing from past experience
that THE in pector would make Just as bj g
a kick about that 50 as he would abou,
$1,000 being out out of pocket in the of.
flee. the postmaster did some auics
thinking.
In a jiffy he had barred the door and
run red bandanna handkerchief out D,
side window. When the inspeo,o,
haughtily demanded that the door be-