The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-06-22
ME ."R. M. s." BOYS.
1nteresting Facts Concerning Some Of
Uncle SANS Employees.

Interesting Facts Concerning Some of
Uncle Sans Employees.
ut Is q singular fact In the makeup
of the human mind that man when
dead counts for SO little. while an in
jured man comes high in law suits and
even has value in government en-
ploy," said a bright young member OF
one Of Uncle Sans branch armies OF
civil employees. known as the railway
mail service force. as he swung out OF
his car at one of the railroad stations
this morning.
"If a railway mail service clerk is
killed in the line of his duty his FAM
lily mourn. his friends are sympathetic
and the department regretful for two
reasons, first. to lose an experienced
man, for in our business experience
and merit alone count, and second, be-
cause it cannot aid the faithful fellows
family or widow.
Under the law and the rule of the
department if railway mail service
employee is seriously injured. if the
disability continues even up to full
year, leave of absence. with pay, is
considerably allowed him. If he is
killed his pay stops from the day of
his death. and the government can
not make an allowance even for his
funeral expenses much less aid his
family, who may be in dire distress.
II Congress would authorize 1t such
an allowance would be possible, but in
the absence of an express law govern
ing the point there is nothing for the
department to do but to express re-
gret, though the dead man may have
given the best years of his life to the
service Of the government.
Shut up day and night in their
mail cars, which are often their collins,
the general public has little opportun-
ity of seeing a class of men who are
indispensable and Of the greatest pub
lie service. Last year four of our force
were killed, 81 seriously injured and
1877 slightly injured in the performance
of their duty. In collisions. especially
head-on collisions. the mail car is gen.
orally wrecked or badly splintered.
Their skill and accuracy in handling
and separating mail matter and in
memorizing postoffice names and loca-
lions is marvellous.
There are 1874 of these men, and
last year they handled the bewildering
number of 1858, 191, 800 letters and s.
429, ASSOC pieces of other classes of
mail matter, making total of 1872.
COZ, 100 pieces. This amount in figures
makes the public debt look like 80
cents. In addition they handled 49,
$4,000 other pieces, consisting of reg
istered matter In spite of the total
running high into the billions. there
were but 1885. 200 errors reported as
made by the clerks in handling this
aggregate, or ratio of one
error to 10,175.
"All of this is done in rapidly NOV
a speed of from 40 to Is miles an hour,
and all under unfavorable conditions
as compared with work upon large
floor as the Washington city postoffice,
for instance. and mostly under artifi-
cial light. In fact, no less than sc per-
cent of all the mail matter originating
in the United States is sent direct to
the railway mail service cars to be
handled by these clerks. In addition
to all this 14.500.000 pieces were |
thrown out because they were ad-
dressed go illegibly that they could not
be delivered, though over 100000 |
of these pieces were returned to the |
writer's or forwarded to destination on |
addresses. No less than |
305, 400, 900 miles are covered annually |
by these men in crews in 1888 postal |
cars.
Naturally after reading these as
facts and figures it is not |
to be wondered at that skill and expe- |
renee and not political influence is
desired by these clerks. The civil SER
vice rules are strictly enforced in this
branch of the service. which largely |
accounts for it's splendid record of |
efficiency. New and inexperienced
men are without practical value, and
but for the maintenance of the civil
service 1t would go to pie very quick
y. There are over $4,000 postofices
and thousands of routes on the differ
,nt railroads and steamboats,. and |
nearly every experienced postal clerk
las this enormous mass of names and
ocations well in hand. Their capacity
o master and to remember names is
ruly remarkable. "-Washington Star.