The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-08-10
INCREASED SALARIES.
The Rural Carriers to be Remunerated
by Graded Scale.
CONGRESSMAN LEVER NOTIFIED
This VIII Be Beneficial TO the Greater
Number OF the Rural Free
Delivery Carriers in this
NpoIinO.
Section.

Delivery Carriers in this
Section.
Congressman Lever passed through
Columbia Tuesday on bis way tC
Branchville to keep an appointment,
SAYS The State. He had just received
from Mr.. j. L. BristoW, fourth assist.
ant postmaster general, an interesting
letter relative to the pay Of rura]
mail carriers. Heretofore these car
riers have been receiving $500 per an
mum, regardless OF the number OF
miles or the number of families in
their routes. There has been change
so that a graded scale Of pay will 60
into effect. Mr.. Bristow says:
Il beg to say that the law fixes the
maximum salary for rural free delivery
carriers at s720 per annum. The only
change was the increasing Of the
amount from 5000 to s720. The law
has always given the postmaster gen.
eral the authority to regulate and
grade the salaries. On July lSt there
we're about "a, 500 rural routes. The
average length Of these routes was
about p miles. Many OF them were
% and 30 miles long. Formerly most
OF the carriers whose routes were over
20 miles long received the same pay.
There was great complaint by carriers
having routes from "a to 80 miles
that they were given no more pay
than carriers having routes but 20
and p miles. 1t was thought equita-
bic to take about the average length
Of the routes and make that the
stankaad route, and IS miles was Sc
lecte6. There were were between
900 and II, routes "a miles and
over in length. 1t takes the carries
on an average Of from six to seven and
half hours to deliver route "a miles
long.
"a salary Of s720 per annum for a
route "a miles in length is equivalent
to $50 per annum per mile. But it
was thought that a rather liberal al
lowance should be made for the cost
Of the carriers equipment, so instead
OF deducting $50 per mile for each
nile less than "a traVelel, only slS
per mile is deducted; According to
this schedule carriers whose routes are
q miles and over receive 1920, % to
q miles receive STOP, p to % miles
receive 1854, 2l to % miles receive
1866, 20 to 81 miles receive S64S, IS
to 20 miles receive $612, 16 to Is
miles receive 1916, IA to l6 miles re-
ceive S540, II to II miles receive
S504, 10 to II miles receive S46S.
Under this schedule OF the 24,50O
carriers nearly $4,000 Of them get an
increase OF over hundred dollars per
annum, and the remainder get in
creases from s45 to sS4 per aDnum.
The complaints you speak OF probably
me from those having r0ures 20, 2l
aud p miles long They would prob
ably prefer a full "a mile route and
get the maximum pay. This dissat-
isfatiou can in many instances be ad
jlsted during the fiscal year by the
extension Of routes so as to take in ad-
Gitional territory. In that way
larger number OF people can be served
on the same route where the carriers
can without difficulty deliver the mail.
Complaint has been made from
the south that the roads are sandy
and that during the hot months it is
much more difficult to serve their
routes than in other parts OF the
country. In the north the complaint
is made that during the SHOWS Ct
winter the hardship Of the carrier IN
this region is much more severe than
in ether parts OF the country. In the
west it is claimed that the black mud
is very heavy and makes travelling
difficult during seasons Of rain. And
in Virginia and parts OF New En-
gland complaint is made CT the hills
and rocks making roads difficult OF
access. In the rich and fertile parts
OF the country carriers deliver much
more mail per route than in the rough
and hilly regions. These carriers COM
plain of the mileage basis, stating
that the number Of pieces OF mail
handled should be taken into consid-
Grafton. But as rule, while there
are exceptions, 1t is quite general,
however, the carrier with the good
roads delivers more mail than the
carrser with bad roads. so that the
mileage oasis is beyond question the
most equitable upon which the CON-
pensatiCn can be fixed. OF the 24,-
| 500 carriers in the service on June 30,
more than 5000 Of them had routes
25 miles and over in length, and DO
not think it equitable or just to pay
the carrier who travels but 20 miles
as much as the one who travels 20
miles.
There was another feature which
the department had to consider,
namely, the money available for rural
delivery. Congress appropriated s2O,-
lS0, 0OG for the salaries OF rural car.
riars. Under the SCI e!ule as hxeo
there was but S3, 900, 600 left on July
l for the installation Of new service
during the present fiscal year-about
as much as the d,partnelt had last
year-although we have p additlona!
agents examining routes. The sche
dule as fixed in addition to being tie
most equitable to all tie carriers ir
the various parts of the country thai
could be devised by the department.
will also enable it to procet d promptly
with the establish ment OF addltlona
service which is now 10 great demand
This could not have been done II
tat increase to S12O had been giVe1
as some Of the carriers expected
Petitions have been coming in since
the lst OF January for the taolish
meat of rural delivery at the rate O
about a Thousand month and it j!
almost impossible for the department