The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-24
RURAL CARRIERS
To GET MORE PAY
CONGRESS FAVoRS INCREASE.
WILL NOT BE. RATED THIS SEES
SION, BUT is BOUND TO COME.

The Increase Will Be from 5000 n
Year to s9Oo-Representatiye Al
ken Champion of the n. r. ID. Men.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster
BristOw Says They Are Expected
to Perform Practically the same
Duty ms the City Carriers at Much
Smaller Pay.
Washington, March 23.-Friends of
the rural free delivery service in the
Senate and House of Representatives
are favorably disposed to Representa-
tive Wyatt Aiken's bill, which provides
that the salaries of rural free delivery
carriers shall be increased from $500
to $500.
At the Postoffice Department and in
Congress there is a general feeling
that the present compensation, $500,
paid to the rural free delivery carriers
is not sufficient reward for the duties
they perform. The Postoffice Depart
ment has recommended that the salaries
of rural free delivery carriers be in
creased to $3.50 a year. This recon-
mendation is accompanied by pro-
visio that rural free delivery carriers
shall not solicit subscriptions for news
papers or attend to any commercial
business outside of the lines of the pos
tai service.
Representative Aiken has not only
been in consultation with the postal
authorities relative to his bill, but he
has also been making an energetic cam
vass of the House and Senate in sup
port of his bill. He contends that the
rural free delivery carriers should be
as we'll paid as city letter carriers
The rural carriers are, to use Mr.. Ak
ems own expression, preambulating
postofhces. They not only deliver and
collect the mails, but they sell stamps
write money orders and transact
greater amount of business than the
letter carriers in the large cities, who
receive a higher compensation.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster Bris-
tow who is now in charge of the rural
free delivery department of the Post
office Department, discusses the sub
ject of increasing the salaries of rural
carriers with frankness.
Rural carriers. said Mr.. Bristow
now receive $500 a year, they are ap-
pointed without competition, which en-
ters into the Star Route service and
they are expected to devote their time
and energies to the interests of the
service just the same as is expected
of letter carriers in big cities. City
letter carriers are not permitted to en-
gage in commercial business along
their respective routes, and rural car
riers in many instances become en-
gagged in serious complications, because
of their efforts to add to their income
by side business transactions along
their respective routes.
A careful inquiry into this subject
shows that there is disposition to be
generous and just with the rural de-
livery carriers. 1t is possible there
may be a few obsolete cases in which
designing parties have to a certain
degree imposed on the rural carriers
to the disadvantage of a thoroughly
impartial postal service. There is,
however, a general feeling in Congress
at the Postoffice Department, and by
those who have had personal expert
ence with. the Rural Free Delivery
Service that the carriers along, rural
routes should receive substantial in
crease in their compensation. The in
crease proposed by Representative
Aiken cannot be made this year, but
judging from the sentiment in behalf
of this popular branch of the postal
service it is bound to come in the near
future.