Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-04-07
LETTER
CARRIERS
SALARIES
Rural POStmen Receive Small
Pay for Long Hours

Systematic and valuable as our post.
al service appears on the surface,
there are scores of defects and incon.
slstencies which must still be cured
before we can boast of anything like
consistency or harmony in its opera.
Aion- II is we'll understood that the
complicated and cumbersome money
order Fanture is a source of large an.
mual loss to the department, the rev.
enues from the sale of money orders
zacldng more than 100000 per annum
of meeting direct and indirect ex-
penseR Practically every branch OF
she mail service is conducted at a
Hoss, except the single item Of first.
class mail matter-the twocent letter
and the one-cent postal card, which
alone Iny large profit on the cost of
transportation and delivery.
Among the Inconsistencies and ap-
parent elements of injustice connect.
ed with the service is the difference
in salaries between the city letter car
rier and his brother in the rural deliv.
cry service. This latter branch is of
recent origin, butt has grown with
such enormous strides that it is al
ready attracting national attention,
and has already accumulated corps
of energetic employees, who are dis.
posed To take good care of their own
Interests and to enlist heir friends in
their own behalf
Nobody seems to feel that the city
Ietter carrier receives too much sal
AIRY. On the contrary, vigorous ef.
forts are made at every session OF
congress- TO pass a long-pending bill
for the increase of his compensation. |
The city letter carrier, after two
years service in the larger postofiices, |
receives $1,000 per annum, with an ex |
ira allowance usually 5000 per an
numD for horse hire to such carriers |
as require the use of a vehicle. The
rural carrier. who always requires a
horse and buggy, now receives 5000
per znnum. with the promise of an
increase to $720 after July /, 1904.
This seems to be very wide discrep.
ancy in compensation, but is account.
ed for by the facts that not only per.
sonal services are much cheaper in the
country than in the city, but the cost
of keeplng horse on the farm Is
much less than in a city or town.
Bat sometimes these two classes of
carriers are brought into close con.
nection under circumstance which
wividly disclose the injustice of their
In one enterprising
'city, for instance. there is a postal
station located near the city limits
which sends out every day two mount
ed city letter carriers and two rural
free delivery carriers. The city car.
rieB leave the station at o'clock ev
cry morning, travel about ten miles
per day, making their deliveries and
collections within the corporation
boundaries, but chiefly among farmers
and market-eardeners returning from
their trips between and o'clock in
th afternoon. their period of work be.
Ing strictly limited by law to eight
hours. They receive $500 a year
each The :wo rural carriers start
from the station at the same homs,
travel about 25 miles each, working
from 10 to l2 hours aday, and receive
for what II practically the Identical
service eraered the government. 5000
a year each
This discrepancy naturally excl'es
attention and stimulates angry Contro.
veisy, not only between the carriers
themselves, but between the patrona
of the respective routes, II the ef
forts of the city carriers to secure ad
ditlonal compensation should succeed
the two mounted carriers who serve
only city patrons would get $500
year each while the rural carriars will