The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-13
Washington
Day BY Day

Washington. January 12.-tspecial.)-
The salary of the postmastership of Biz
mingham, to which DIR. Hughes deserved
and has received reappointment is $500,
which is exceeded by but five other post
offices in the South. and which upon the
next readjustment of salaries will prob
ably be second to New Orleans, $1,000;
Atlanta. $500; Richmond, $500, and Mem
phis and Nashville $500 each. Birming
ham and Savannah pay identical salaries
The salaries of postmasters are ordin-
airy based upon the business of their re-
spective offices: and seeing that the cen
sus of 1900 gave Memphis nearly three
times and Richmond, Nashville and At
lanta more than double the population
Of Birmingham, the showing that Birm-
ingham makes as evidenced by the sal
airy of its postmasters is remarkable, and
tends to make the census figures of pop
ulation of cities real value.
The postal funds of all the fourth class
postoffices, that is, the offices which
pay postmasters simply a percentage of
their office business, in thirty-one of the
sixty-six counties of Alabama are re-
quired to be deposited in the Birmingham
postoffice; those counties being Bibb,
Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Gle
burne, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah,
Fayette, Franklin, Greene. Jackson, JEFF
ferson, Lamar. Lauderdale, Lawrence,
Limestone, Madison. Marion, Marshall,
Morgan, Pickens. Randolph, ST. Clair,
Shelby. Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Walker,
and Winston
Thirty-three postoffices In the Birming-
ham district were discontinued in 1901 on
account of the rural free delivery sys-
tenn. In Jefferson county the offices dis
continued were Ayres. Chalkville, Clay,
Coaldale Earnest, Ezra, Gary, Greene.
Ishkooda, Razburg. Redding, Rosedale,
Labon, Merkel, Partridge, Plat, Powderly
Sanduslxy Scrap. Sloss. Spaulding, Toad
vine Turpin, Wilgus and Yuma.
Alas alas! the steel-shod tread of util-
itarianism and the fuss and fury of pro-
sress has blotted from the list seventy
six thousand American postoffices the
classic and historic burg of Toadvine-
historic because one Of its most honor
ed citizens, Mr.. ]. C. Roberts by name,
invented the shirtwaist and is himself
the original shirtwaist man; all the mil
lion OF others being mere followers and
imitators of that worthy and honored
Albanian.
Again. alas Likewise, alack. Moreover
an! The shrill whistle of the hurrying
postman now rings through the primeval
avenues of Toadvine disturbing the
somnolent owl and giving a new note to
the rustic cackle cherished by SO many
generations Of the virtous Toadviners
and, sung in song and rung in story so
long to an envious world
The age-long joy of going to the postof-
flee has passed from the men Of Toad
vine. The weekly question asked In every
home, Amt yer gwine fer Their mail?"
is silenced for ever by the daily plant
Of languor, Thar woes Their mail-he
amt got nothin fer weuns" No longer
can thirteen Toadviners enjoy one copy
Of the weekly newspaper as read by the
one subscriber in front of the postoffice
on SADLY evenin'; and no longer is heard
the querolous "Ain't that letter o. mine
come yit?"
Fair Toadvine of the iron-stored hills
has been annexed to Adger and Adger
to Birmingham, the postofice department
thus setting timely example to be fol-
lowed by the Alabama Legislature in
municipality annexing Pratt City. Ensley,
West End, Powderly, North Birming-
Lake to the metropolis of the busiest re-
gion of the South.
But-Toadvine, sweet Toadvine of clas-
sic and shirtwaist fame! One must be
pardoned for pausing at this particular
point in this narrative to heave a few
signs of large size.
1t is done.
Toadvine's fate in being discontinued in
nine other Alabama postoffices during the
past year, amongst them being the his
toric burgs of jug. Slick, Slipup Pane,
Quail, Quogue, Rat Hub, Apt and Will
low--O Willow, where the tit comes from.
But an hundred and five and twenty
new postoffices We're established in the
state, making net gain of twenty-five
on the year.
The sweet names of Amy and Anna,
Gertrude-they call it Gertie for short
May, Nymph, and of course Uwanta-are
among the lot. Amy belongs to Pike and
Anna to Henry, while Gertrude lies in the
cold Clay; May is in the embrace of the
Indian Tuscaloosa, and the fair Uwanta
is held tight by the Indian Cherokee, and
Nymph is content with Conecuh.
Julien is Immediately under Jester and
both under Graphite. and there you are,
<><->-%<>~<<<e%>
pany at Mobile. Ala, a $4,000 lumber
company at Pensacola. Fla, a $4,000
lumber company at Donovan, Miss, a
100000 lumber company at Lucedale,
Miss. mattress factory at Raleigh, N.
C.. a $4,000 medicine factory at Triton,
Ga. a $4,000 milling company at Falls
Church Va, a $4,000 office supply COM
pany at Dallas, Tex, three oil companies
at beaumont Tex, capitalized at $50 600,
100000 and 81, 100000 respectively, a $780,.
900 oil and gas company at Birmingham,
Ala. oil refneries at Corsicana, Tex,
n 800. 900 phosphate company at Barlow,
Fla. rice mills at Iowa and Roanoke.
La. a $4,000 saddlery at Dallas, Tex,
saw and planning mill at Petersburg, Va.
a company with authorized capital of
81, 900. 900 at Wilmington, N c., to con-
struct sewers railroads, tunnels, etc., a
$4,000 shipbuilding company at New Or
leans La, a, starch factory at Black
81 eft 81