Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-01
COUNTRY 20STMASTERS.

COUNTRY 2oSTMASTERS.
Some of the Humorous Features Of the Rural
Service.
Few people know just exactly where
a fourth class postmaster gets his pay.
His patrons, more often than not,
know the least about the matter, and
not many others know that, humble
as the fourth-class office Is, 1t serves
United States. There are over 10000 Of
these offices, while there are just 4,500
of the third, second and f1rst-class, or
salaried offices. The lowest salary
paid these is $1,000 and the highest
salary is $4,000 a year. The fourth
class offices must rustic for their own
pay. Sometimes that is as low as 81 a
month, and sometimes as high as $50 a
month; that is, some offices send out
lust that amount of cancelled letters
each month, but the fourth-class post
master Is not allowed to keep the $50
a month; not at all. He keeps just
1913 dollars as his own clear cash,
and every dollar over that he divides
up with Uncle Sam, giving him 40 out
of every 100 cents, until his office gets
to the Importance Of cancelling over
$33 month; then he must hand over
60 cents out of the dollar instead of
40. Out of what is left he pays his Of
flee rent, his light and fuel bills and
his clerk 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-class offices cancel
stamps to either the great or small
amount I have named. The majority
of them range from So to $50 month.
When an office averages about $40 a
month, then it becomes money order
office, and while the revenue towards
the postmaster's pay is not perceptibly
increased by this addition, his bond
and responsibility are. Some years
years ago a fourth-class postmaster
was allowed q percentage on all the
stamps he sold above the cancellation,
but it was found that he hustled
around and offered inducements and a
share of the proceeds to those who
would buy stamps from him, and the
department shut down on this. Now,
If he sells 81 worth Of stamps a day,
but only cancels on letters 10 cents
worth, 10 cents is all he gets for that
DAYS work. The remainder Of the 81
at the end Of the quarter goes to the
department.
The fourth-class postmaster is
brought into closer relationship with
his patrons than the postmaster Of a
salaried office, and trials and tribula-
tions are about the extent Of his pay
for this. He is expected 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 their spectacles at home; to advise
them as to the best papers or maga-
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 blame him Of opening their let
ters; there is the pompous citizen,
who Is very certain that he Is careless
with his particular mail, and the old
fellow whose family takes just one pa
per, and that a monthly, but every day
the old fellow would ask If that "dog-
rotted book Of his'n had come yet?''
and though it never missed showing
up at the appointed time, and he took
home every copy Of it, he would de-
clare that it was the beatenest thing
to miss he ever seen, and he'd be
blamed If he'd ever take it again.
In the majority Of these offices
strictness is the rule. The fourth
class postmaster is called to task for
neglect Of the slightest duty, the same
as though the government was paying
him a good salary for his work. But
in very small offices I have heard of
postmasters who have it all their own
way. The office is too small for new
postmaster to be easily found II the old
one Is turned out; the patrons would
not allow it to be discontinued. and so
the authorities turn away nonpluss-
ed and leave him to his own devices.
I heard of one postmaster Of this kind
who would shut up his office to attend
to anything he felt was worth attend
ing. He would go off a dozen miles to
a show, prize fight or the county fair,
and sometimes stay two or three days,
and there was. no getting in his office
to get your mail or deposit letters un-
til he came back. Another postmaster,
having just loaned a friend all the pos
tai funds, amounting to some 81 or SO,
an hour after Saw a postoffice inspect
or making his way leisurely toward the
office. Knowing from past experience
that the inspector would make just as
big a kick about that 81 as ne WOuld
about $1,000 being out Of pocket in the
office. the postmaster did some quick
thinking.
In a jiffy he had barred the window
and run a red bandana handkerchief
out Of a side window. When the in
spector haughtily demanded that the
door be opened the postmaster asked
him if he didn't know what a red flag
meant, and if he didn't want to know
he'd better not stop to investigate. By
this time the little burgh was in pam
ic over this hint Of smallpox and with
out waiting to add anything to the
panic the inspector Immediately made
himself scarce in that region.