Evening star., 1902-01-03
Bill Introduced in Congress Increas-
ing Their Pay.
FACTS ABOUT GROWTH OF SERVICE
Free Delivery First Started by
Montgomery Blair.
GOOD SH WING FOR MEN

to mind few facts of interest which in
timately relate to these Industrious and
faithful employees of the government,
said a postal official to a Star man this
morning
The present maximum pay of a letter
carrier is 81 coo, and the minimum is $500
a year. A carrier entering the service first
as a substitute and then advanced to
regular, waits a number of years as rule
before attaining the maximum pay. 1t is
proposed in the new bill to raise a carrier
with a good record $500 a year SO that at
the end of four years service he will be re-
ceiving the proposed maximum Of $1,000.
THE estimates for the ensuing year call
for $17, 100000 to provide for 17,1S9 car
riers, of which number Washington has
239 OF this army corps, 1,4OO carriers will
receive 5000 annually; 707 at $500; 6,317 at
$3.50, and 1856 at $1,000, from which it ap-
pears that over one-half of the entire force
Is to receive the present maximum pay,
provision being also made for carriers serv-
ing on@civil service boards, holiday service
and other emergencies, substitutes and tenn
porary carriers at summer resorts, which
latter en- paSSant, are quite numerous, as
may be determined when the summer over
flow population Of the seaside resorts is
compared with their small winter popula-
tiOn.
Fine Showing of the Men.
"Of this large body Of men it would in
deed prove surprising If all were perfect,
as it will prove of interest to show how
very few proportionately there were who
lost their places, or, as they say at the de-
partment were separated from the ser
vice. Because a man has been separated
from the service it does not follow that
it was to his discredit. Separate is a
generic term which includes all vacancies
irrespective of the cause. Thus, lib car
rierS died during the year, 1l5 resigned,
and seven We're dismissed for physical dis
ability.
'Sixty-two dismissals were made because
of too frequent Indulgence in the fluid that
stimulates and cheers, and so small Is this
number proportionate to the total force
that the remarkable sobrety and steadi-
ness of the force as AN entirety is en-
phasized. Only twenty-six carriers We're
dismissed because Of arrest, which speaks
well for the general honesty of the force.
Everybody knows that the mails are the
great medium used by the people for the
transmission of money, and there are some
men who are unable to resist temptation
when letter passes through their hands
which they are quite sure contains
treasury note. Ninety-one were dismissed
because of serious violations Of the postal
regulations which could not be overlooked.
with only 179 separations for cause as
against present force of about 1900 men
the letter carriers of this country made a
record for efficiency of which they may
well be proud, and which should be shared
by the general pubic.
A victory for the Civil Service.
mo stronger testimonial Of the efficiency
of the civil service as applied to govern
ment employees can be adduced than these
figures and the facts which follow. 1t Is
complete triumph of the operations OF the
civil service law.
Under the rules of the civil service year
by year the percentage of separations, in
cluding death and resignation, has steadily
decreased, falling from 6.3 per cent In 1893
to 30 per cent In 1901, while the percent
age Of separation for cause has fallen from
per cent in 1893 to 100 in 1901. This high
rating Of efficiency Is the more remarka-
BILE when the great growth and expansion
Of the system is considered. AS an exam
pie of the increased steadiness of the force,
in 1898 eighty-eight carriers were dismissed
for intoxication, while In the past year the
number had fallen to only siXty-two.
1T will prove Of local interest to recall
that the free delivery system Of the United
States was established by Postmaster Cen
eral Montgomery Blair of Maryland in 1863
with 6S5 carriers or only little over twice
the number now allotted to Washington,
with service in only forty-five cities as
against S66 cities in 1901, and it costs today
for the maintenance of this now indispensa-
bic service to the people at the rate Of only
30 cents for each person served. Over 32.-
100000 patrons now enjoy two or more free
deliveries of mall six days week. In far
away Ponce, San Juan and Mayaguez Por-
to Rico, and at Honolulu, Hawaii, the peo-
pie now served at their residences as
in Washington, decided innovation to
them Of former conditions of postal service
1T will be noted that seven carriers were
removed during the year because of physi-
cal disability. This means that these men,
after giving the best portion of their lives
to the service Of the government were una
voidably removed to take their chances in
their old age Of getting along.
Veteran Carriers and Other Points.
Each year the number of veteran car
riers grows steadily larger, and it will not
be long before the entire system will be
more or less vitally effected, and the ques-
tion of the disposition Of the carriers who
are physically unable to perform their du-
ties will have to be met. While postmas-
ters treat the old men with consideration
by curtailing their routes, the plan is very
expensive, amounts to a virtual indirect
pension, and cannot be encouraged by the
department., as deSirouS as it's officials are
to be fair to the carrier and just to the
people. 1t Is heartlesS at first sight to
dismiss a superannuated carrier, yet the
public demand the highest efficiency in the
delivery of the mail, and this cannot be at
tained by men who are physically unable
to perform their required duties.
This is a question, however, which Is
now of the lfveliest Importance to employees
ment. A civil pension list borne by the
government does not meet with popular ap-
provai, so the carriers will endeavor at this
session to secure consideration Of a bill
which will provide for a disability and re-
tirement fund, to be made up out of their
salaries, along the same general lines as
that proposed for the clerks in the depart
ments. This will admit of the removal of
the dead wood on fair terms, and the gen.
eral efficiency Of the service will be greatly
enhanced.
1.-The high grade Of mail service given to
the people Of this country may truthfully
be said to result from the operations of
the civil service law. 1t takes several years
to break in and train carrier SO that he
may master his duties to the dual satisfac-
tion of the public and the department The
people have been educated to this high
standard and If 1t were lowered they would
be the first and the loudest to protest.
Decentralization of the Spoils System.
"a revival of the spoils system would ut
terly demoralize the postal system. The old
carriers would go out by the wholesale,
with their past service and physical disa-
bility given scant consideration. For that
matter, any man would be likely to walk
the plank any morning when he appeared to
report. With the spoils system In force,
tho dapa n, xvotf}d find ifce1f bIe -