The Iola register., 1901-02-22
IoIa's Post Office BusIness.

There is no better index to the busi-
ness of town than the transactions
of its post-otlice. and judged by that
criterion the REGISTER doubts .if an
other town in Kansas can make bet
ter showing than lola. The growth
of this post-ofice has been simply
phenomenal. The truth of the matter
is that it has been too fast for it has
been utterly impossible to convince
the Department at Washington that
the office was entitled to the working
force that is required to handle the
business.
The theory of the Post-otlice Depart
ment is that the Government provides
all the clerk hire that is necessary in
an Office of the second class. AS II
matter of fact, however, the Govern
ment has never made any allowance
for this Office except for a postmaster
and one assistant. Now everybody
in lola knows that it would be an
utter physical impossibility for two
men to do the work that has to bedOne
in this post.ollice. The result has
been that Postmaster Henderson has
been obliged to employ and pay out of
his own pocket, two extra clerks forthe
past nine months. And even with four
men, instead of with the two provided
by the Government the work has been
so heavy that two of the clerks quit be-
cause it was more than they could
stand. In addition to paying these
two extra clerks out of his own pocket,
Postmaster Henderson has put in more
hours at the Office probably than any
other business man in town spends at
his store, coming down at 6 in the
morning, and staying until $50 or
900 at night, with an hour off for din
ner and less than that for supper.
Sundays he varies this monotony by
coming down at seven and staying
till 4:;0 or 300, with two hours of for
dinner. And all this in the face of a
United States law which expressly
declares that allowances for clerk
hire in Offices of the second class shall
cover the cost of clerical services of
all kinds, including the cost of cleri-
cal labor in the money order busi-
ness"
a comparison of the work done al
some of the other second class offices
in the State furnishes some interesting
figures, The Cotfeyville Office, be,
tween October l6, 1899, and Jan. 23
1901, issued 673l money orders. Dur
ing the same time this Office ISSUED
1922 orders. Yet Colfeyville has al
allowance for two clerks, while thi,
Office has none. From October 81
1899 to Feb. |, 1901, Ottawa issued 10
920 orders. During the same time thi!
Office issued IL ,l64 orders. Ottawa
has an allowance for three or foul
clerks, and has besides the relic
afforded by two rural routes. For
Scott occupies Government building
has janitor, night clerk, and fou
other clerks, and yet from Dec.
? 1899 to Feb IL, 1901, that Office ISSUED
only thousand more money order
than this office did. These compari
sons certainly demonstrate that tn
lola Office has grown faster than tn
Washington authorities can realize.
The fact that Mr.. Henderson ha
paid out several hundred dollars 70
clerk hire during the past year whicl
the law does not require him to pay
is sufficient evidence of his anxiety t.
give the public good service; and tn
fact that the entire Office force is work
ed from II to 15 hours day ought t
excuse any mistakes that may some
time be made. IL is perfectly appaI
ent that this office has not been II,