The National tribune., 1903-08-06

The official or employe who works faith
fully and honestly in the public service
is as valuable to the Government as he
would be to an employer in a private ca
pacity, and no insinuaton, from any
source, that these men are barnacles at
tached to the Ship of State detracts from
the value derived from their earnest at
tention to duty,,, Nor will any Of these as
sertions convert the conscientious en-
ploye, to whom long service makes the
business second nature, into mere ma
chine to perform SO many revolutions in
a given time foS a stated sum. He will
continue to take an interest in his work,
and feel ambitious to excel in the same.
1t must not be forgotten that the postal
employees ambition is limited. The car
rier when he receives the maximum sal
ary has reached his zenith. The same can
l,e said of clerks in the railway mail ser
vice. Those employed in large private
concerns can aspire to higher positions;
their ambition is no: confined within Il
fixed limit. .. O.,
OCCUPATION FOR TIE LEISURE" HOURS.
The time spent each day by letter-car-
riers in the post office between trips is
popularity supposed to be period of
rest. The following are some of the en-
ployments to which these supposed leiS-
NTe moments are necessarily ueN us
tributing mail, or. technically speaking,
routing mail for delivery: correcting the
addresses on letters for proper distribu-
ton: forwarding mail to different parts
of the city as well as country; making
proper entries of all removals from dis
trict: sorting out mail distributed in error
by the clerks; making Il complete record
of every letter not delivered; notifying
publishers to correct addresses on publi-
cations where the addressee has changed
his place of residence: notifying the pub
Usher to discontinue sending publications
where they have been refused by the ad-
dressec or where they can not be deliver
ed: making proper returns for every piece
of registered mail handled, rearranging
the cases for distribution of mail owing
to changes affecting routes: and last but
not least. sorting and arranging for dis
tribution thousands OF spcaches sent out
under frank to do service in political cam
paigns.
NOT ALWAYS \ HEALTHFUL WORK.
That the letter-carricr does not always
work under salubrious conditions may be
inferred by summary one of them has
made of special infelicities encountered
Poetic fancy pictures the carrier going
out into the pure air. listening to the sing
ing of birds, behOlding the blue canopy of
heaven. inhaling the fragrance of flowers,
and ascending the green-topped hills with
4 bnOyancy of spirit that leads him to ex-
claim. ''Ic crags and peaks. I'm with you
once again. What can be more health
full? But what about the prosaic side. he
inquiries. What about going out with Il
load that cuts into his shoulder and get
ting dust in his eyes. slush in his shoes.
or melted snow down the back of his
neck! What about getting up persplra-
tiop when the thermometer shows 20 de-
srecs below zero. and then letting a chill
go down his spinal column while he waits
at the door, or thaws out q brass lock
with his bdre hand: What about going
through the, corridors of some hot Office
building. and then stepping into the street
just III time to let Il cold blast strike him
in the throat? What about going across
dirty lots. through filthy alleys and back
of dilapidIted tenements, and having
splash of aishWater from an upper win
dow drench him? What about climbing
high sand ksuffs and getting the full bene-
fit of the smoke from a nearby factory,
and crying out, not ..ie crags and peaks,
I'm with you once again., but "Oh, my
tired legs. "mo.+T ~. .-f
A PROVISION FOR THE SUPERANNUATED.
The steady increase in the number of
veterans ana saperannuated carriers fur
nislcs a standing admonition that sooner
or later the efficiency of the entire system
will be affected unless remedial steps are
taken. The curtailment of the routes of
these faithful veterans began several
years ago. and this practice is certain to
grow as old age increases human infirmi-
ties. This method of meeting the prob
lem amounts to an indirect pension. and
its extension will prove Il great expense
TO the Department. Moreover, this plan
of overcoming the poor service incident to
physical declension is neither fair to the
public, to the system, nor to the aged car
riers.
CARRIERS FOE TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
The proposition to extend city free de-
livery to towns of 5000 inhabitants. or
showing postal revenues of $1,000 a year.
would affect 200 offices at the present
time The number of Offices coming with
in the provisions of the act will increase
approximately at the rate of 100 per year.
if the present rate of increase in gross
receipts throughout the country is main
tained q 30
1t is estimated that to inaugurate the
carrier service in these smaller cities and
towns would require on an average two
and One-half letter carriers to each office
,
at the prevailing rate of 5000, and for
succeeding years at the rate of $3.50.
1t is not necessary to here discuss the
merits Of the sweeping extension contem-
plated by Congress i'll this pending meas
IRE. For years these minor cities. ex-
cluded by the explicit terms of the law,
have been applying to the Department for
the benefits and conveniences of free de
livery. When at last the residents of these
numerous towns witnessed the successful
introduction of the rural free delivery sys-
TEN in the territory Immediately surround
ing them, reaching the smallest hamlets
and villages, but passing by their towns,
it spurred them to redouble their efforts
to obtain n mail delivery service.
Under the organic lines which the rural
service was laid down and established
these thriving towns were rigidly exclud-
ed from its benefits, as that service was
primarily designed to be. as its name i'm
plies, n distinctly rural service, and these
towns We're too large and their post office
too important to be discontinued. There
fore the residents of these 1000 towns
now observe with more or less compla-
cency their friends in the neighboring cit
les enjoying the delivery and collection of
their mails from two to five times a day,
and turning toward the open country they
see the farmer having his daily paper and
market reports-while they get no free de-
livery service, ,ef any kind.
IT i%As35koT ALWAYS THUS.
We too easily forget what the world
was before it had the rapid mail service.
what it w9uld soon be again if deprived
h. nIa,.. 4. III