The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-03-04

Heretofore the highest compensation of
railway mail clerks has been $1,400. The
bill provides for the promotion of Zz5
clerks into this new class. These are
the ones who are in charge of two or
more cars. The division superintendent
of the same service, whose salary Is now
SIT a year, will be raised to $1,000.
This branch of postal work is peculiarly
hazardous, and by comparison with the
carrier service is not well paid, al
though the wages Of its employees COM
pare favorably with other classes Of the
railway employees on the same trains,
except possibly the engineers. In case
of the death of a railway mail clerk the
government pays his dependent family
81, 600 There is also an appropriation
of 1000 this year to pay for substitutes
for men injured in the service. The
government continues the salary of an
these provisions the service carries no
pensions as many persons believe it
should.
No increase in wages is provided for
the letter carrier, in spite of the proml-
nent part which their organization is
supposed to have played in defeating
Congressman Loud Of California, the
chairman of the house committee. The
sentiment in the committee IS against
raising the salaries of carriers, although
several of its members would obviously
not like to be brought face TO face with
the question, and always hope to have
some man on the coW-catcher to stand
the force of the collision The carriers
are known to profit a great deal from
New Years remembrances along their
routes. This form of compensation for
tunately adjusts itself to the carriers
natural cost of living. In the business
centers and the thickly settled quarters
of the big cities the gifts are the largest.
while in places where it costs him less
to live he gets less. The present maxi
mum of carriers salary, in cities having
a population of over $4,000, is $1,000
figure regularly reached by a service of
two years. Time brings this promotion
without the Intervention of any infiu
ences. as in most other branches of the
service. The average carrier works
about seven hours and fifty minutes
each day.
The extension Of the rural delivery
service has been striking, the aoDropri-
alton for it in the pending bill being S12,-
619 300 This means an annual value OF
considerably more. In pension matters
the expenditures are by tradition larger
than the annual value Of the rolf; the
difference comes to pass from the lump
sums paid in back pensions. which do
not have to be repeated. Conversely, in
the rural free delivery service, the
annual value will for some years be
considerably in excess of the annual
I appropriation. This comes about from
the fact that the bureau is allowed each
/ year a certain amount OF money to con-
tinue the existing service and to estab
!
I operation six months. or three months.
or one month before the fiscal year
ends, and SO for the year in which they
are started entail a small part of their
regular cost. The appropriations for
| this service began in 1892 with S10.000s
and in 1898 there came a lift to $50, 00o.
/ the next year $780, 600, and then to $500
600. For the fiscal year ending June 80.
1901. the appropriation was $1.I5000o; il
/ was Just double that for the next fiscal
year, and q little more than four times
that for the following one. The annua1
value of the aresent establishment by
the end of the year, for which provision
| is now made. viii not be less than S15.-
000.0 600. It is probable that rural de-
livery, when universally applied, will
cost $40. 600 600 and then the increases
will come with growth of population and
with the raising Of the salaries Of the
carriers. It is not to be supposed that
the rural delivery men, organized on the
scale which Will soon be possible would
tolerate any such beggarly salary as the
$500 now paid. This is. however twice
as much as that allowed during the ex-
perimental stage. when all the coTnpu-
tations were made by which congress
was induced to embark in the enterprise
For the pneumatic tube service, which
is a concession to the urban communi,
ties. $780, 900 is appropriated. This wiz
Drobab bly, grow as its value as a Dosta
adjunct becomes recognized.
An interesting change in the direction
Of common sense, mada by the bill pass