Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-05
The Letter Carriers Salary Bill.


The Letter Carriers Salary Bill.
Now, in these closing remarks that
make to Congress, I hope (and I utter
these remarks only as a prospective citi-
zen going out of public life. never to re-
turn. and having only at heart the inter
est of a citizen of this country, nope
that If you ever do take up the letter
carriers salary bill you will strike from the
present statute that provision which pro-
notes compuiSorily every one OF THESE ON
Gals annually 1 believe that that law
today is costing us through an fnefhclent
service S5,OOO,OOO annually, which will con-
tirue to increase as the service increases
You can see 1t yourself You have removed
the incentive for a man to excel He only
has to do just sufficient to keep him in the
service.
The post Office committee think, should
be congratulated by the House of Repre-
sentatives that it has steadily recommend
ed against an encroachment of this char
acter upon the efficiency of the public serv-
ice; that it has steadily stood against
these so-called classification" bills. which
are but compulsory promotion biils Ihat
committee has stood steadily against these
measures up to the present hour, and say
again I hope Congress will never remove
that bar; that it will at all times have In
view an efficient service for the best inter-
ests of the people, which can only be OBJ.
tanned by holding out to man the nope Oh
promotion through his own efforts
1 did desire to call the attention OF the
House at length, but will do SO only IN
passing. to the Increase In certain items IN
the post Office appropriation bill. some
years ago we had considerable agitation
in Congress about the enormous increase
in the amount Of money paid to railroad
companies for the transportation of mail
That question was, think, substantially
determined at least for a time. or the ag1-
tation checked, by the report of the COM
mission appointed to investigate that sub
ject.
If any one will take the time to look at
the increase of the various items in the
postal service, he will see that where the
Increase is left discretionary. substantially,
in the Post Office Department, 1t Is amor
NAL but where the increase comes from
contract service or from service similar
to the transportation of mail, whereby the
increased amount OF business done de-
creases the pay per pound pound tn then o the IN
1t will be found that the increase IN the
post office clerk hire since 1897. including
the fiscal year of 1904. has been more than
80 per cent. while the increase IN the
amount of money paid to railroads for the
transportation of mail for the same pc
Rod has been but 30 per cent. Take It all
through the post Office appropriation bill
and single out the character OF work tnat
ts done by competition. by contract, and 1t
will be found that while we are getting
a good service, the increase during that
same period has varied but very little, from
Is to 80 per cent.
Extravagant Rural Free Delivery.
There il one other subject to which I
wish to direct attention, and do 1t some
what in the line of regret. When was
boy I used to hear an expression, and do
once in a while now In my own country.
that II a mans foresight was as long as
his hindsight he would be wonderful man.
I regret. and think Congress. when 1t
contemplates and investigates. will have
serious cause to regret. that the rural free
delivery service was not placed with our
contract star route service, or. rmight say.
In the department of the second assistant
postmaster general
II you viii take the time to read the hear