The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-04-19
SECRET RULE AND BRISTOW.
Postoffice Allowances and Passage of
Appropriations.

Washington April 1S-The post office
departments secret rule, which shares
with Mr. Bristow the condemnation of the
| house investigation committee, goes out
! of existence with the passoge of the post
| office appropriation bill. but. meanwhile.
| developments inside and outside the de-
partment have removed the only reason
there ever was for keeping it secret. The
officials say now that it was not printed
in the first place merely because a large
number of postmasters were getting along
reasonably well and making no complaint
with allowances smaller than they would
be entitled TO under the rule and it was in
the interest of economy to keep them in
the dark. At present. it would probably
be hard to find such cases. The wide
publicity given the whole subject has set
postmasters all over the country to in
0uring whether they We're getting all
the rule allowed them. Other cases are
constantly being adjusted by the depart
ment on its own initiative. Thus many
hundreds of increases have recently been
made TO offset the reductions made from
the excessive allowances mentioned In
the Bristow report and the department
ably conform more nearly TO the rule now
than at any other time in its history.
Under the terms of the postal bill which
makes available the appropriation for
separating mail at third and fourth-class
post offices, only in case the rules govern
ing its allotment are made public. the de-
partment plans to keep its formula stand
ing in the Postal Gazette, with few
explanatory notes. The unpublished regul-
lation which has caused so much trouble
in the last month, is typewriter for
reference on a bit of cardboard ont more
than five inches long and two wide. 1t
is nothing in the world but sliding scale
of figures. One column gives the number
of pieces of mail which must be separa-
ted per day in order TO entitle an office
to the annual allowance set opposite In
the calculation, each registered letter
counts for thirty pieces of ordinary mail
While the rule itself is of the simplest
character. its publication to the world is
expected TO involve a good deal of explain
alton with thick-headed fourth-class post
masters. In the first place, the term
separation" refers only to the division
of mail for star routes, and not to the
sorting of rural free delivery routess.
Postmasters are constantly putting for
ward the plea that whenever a rural
route is established it imposes additional
work on the office from which it starts
and that extra allowance is therefore only
reasonable. The department has always
held to the opposite theory that the rural
free delivery in reality saves trouble for
the postmaster. This is on the ground
that ii is easier and takes less time TO
pick out the mail of three-score families
and hand II all to the rural carrier than
picking out a letter at a time, when the
individual members of those families call
for their mail.
The appropriation for separation of mail |
by the way-has gone through some vi |
cissitudes in the hands of congress The |
was s1.2oI.000: the house allowed |
81 ,oo0 600. adding $500 600 or unusual busi-
ness accrUing at third and fourth class /
post Offices 1t was suggested that. as
the nature of unusual business was ont |
defined it would be a good plan TO com
bine the two appropriations. The senate
accordingly did so. That is il combined I
the two purposes but at the same time 4
cut out the additional half-million dollars. /
II II appears that out of the even million 4
made available it will be impossible 10 /
give TO every postmaster what he is EMIT |
led 10 under the published rule the only 4
way out OF Il will he 10 amend the rule 4
and again try To adjust the whole system. /
allowances right and left. This /
is the chief of the disadvantages in hav- 1
ing q rule which every one affected can 1
look up for himself