Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-19
A POSSIBLE REDUCTION
PLIGHT OF THE POST OFFICE AT
THE CITY OF NOME, ALASKA.
Elevated to Second Class, but New
Conditions Are Not Found to Be
Altogether Advantageous.

Far-away Nome in Alaska is I'm fear of q
possible post office reduction in grade, and
the enterprise of Postmaster Frank W..
Swanton, whose pride in the town and
whose energetic qualities helped build up
great postal trade, seem destined to be set
at naught.
Until July-1 last the Nome office thrived
TRANQUILITY under the title of a post office of
the third class. There was lot of mail
handled by the force at the command Of
Postmaster Swanton and the sales of
stamps and receipts from letter box rentals
rapidly brought the Office dangerously near
the second class. Postmaster Swanton did
not regard this fact as dangerous at the
time. but rather as fascinating indication
OF the coming greatness of Nome when
that frozen city should be the only office
OF the second class within the borders Of
Uncle Sans vast northern domain.
In TACT. the postmaster worked hard to
achieve this result. SO hard in fact, that
he met with success having a report
which said that the office had gathered in
something more than $1,000 during the
year. and was. therefore, entitled to the
distinction of being elevated to the second
class The post Office authorities looked
into the matter and elevated it accordingly.
thus browning. Nome's ambition and at the
same time giving her, all unknowingly, a
decided setback
Third-class post offices are allowed $3.50
year for the salary of postmaster and not
to exceed $1,000 a year for "the separation
of the mails" in other words clerk hire
The postmaster furnishes vouchers for the
distribution of this fund. but he is not re-
stricted as to the number of clerks he may
hire to do the work. All required by the
Post Office Department is that he give bond
for the proper performance of his duties
and that he do them.
Exigencies of the Case.
Second-class post offices are, by law, al
lowed $1,000 d year for salary for the
postmaster and not more than $1,000
year for any one clerk, though the number
of these assistants is not limited, but al
lowed according to the exigencies of the
office, This fact seems to have been over
looked by the Nome authorities when they
were wishing their office could step up one
point and look with diSdain upon all third
class rivals. But now the postmaster has
found that unless his office is put back
into the third class he will either have to
run it all by himself or go out of business.
Conditions in Alaska and the parent coun-
| try are not parallel. Men do not go to
Alaska to work for the government at
81 600 year when they can get from other
employers So a day, and board thrown In,
and the Independent employees of the Nome
office have informed Postmaster Swanton
| that unless they are paid as much as 50 a
day he will have to find some other clerks
at the end of the next thirty days.
Mails handled by the Nome Office are
heavy, and they must be handled or there
will likely be some emphatic messages from
Alaskan miners to the Post Office Depart
ment. The department has, therefore, sent
word to Postmaster Swanton to go over his
books again and see if he did not make an
error in making up his report. 1t is barely
possible that some advance sales of stamps
| may have brought his receipts up to the
necessary $500 for the year, in which event
his office could easily be reduced to the
third class, where 1t would belong
If it is learned that the sales for the last
fiscal year cannot be brought below 5000
some provision will have to be made to re-
tain the clerks until permanent action can
be taken and the laws so adjusted as to
meet the peculiar conditions obtaining in
Alaska; and in the meantime the Post
Office Department is awaiting with the
keenest interest the result of the inspection
| OF the books of the Nome post office now
| being made by Postmaster Swanton