Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-20
DUTIES OF RURAL CARRIERS
Notable Development. Of the Rural Free
Delivery Service.
ADDRESS BY DIVISION SUpT, LLEwtLLYN
Important Duties of the Carriers and
Their Relations 90 the Depart
ment. the Postmasters and the
Public They serve.

]
superintendent Of the Ulral free delivery,
/ attended the recent meeting OF the rural
| carriers OF Missouri al Kansas City and
! delivered an address showing the remark
/ able development Of that branch OF the
mail service and the Importance OF elevat-
ing the service TO the highest possible
standard He said:
! Il am here by the direction of the de-
partment to aid in any way can by sug
| gestions or advice in the objects Of this
meeting OF the rural carriers Of the state
OF Missouri. The department is deeply
interested in any organization and in any
effort to promote the efficiency of the rural
| service. This, l take It. is, as a matter Of
| course, the purpose, the sole purpose, OF
your organization.
Postmaster General Cortelyou, in his
! address last spring defined with great
accuracy the aims OF legitimate organiza-
| ton when he said organizations within
| the department to receive its sanction,
must have for their sole object improve
ments in the service or be OF a purely
fraternal or beneficial character. with any
other purpose they are detrimental to the
J service. to their members and to the
public"
! You are connected with a great and i'm
portant service. 1t is indeed a new ser
/ vice but no other branch OF the post office
| department, or any other department, in
the history of the government, has de-
veloped with such marvellous rapidity as
| the rural free delivery service during the
| past five years. In 1897 there were in the
United States only forty-four free delivery
routes; to-day. the number is, in round
| figures, about 1900. In your own state
the great state of Missouri, l,s2s men are
employed at a total cost for salaries,
alone, Of $4,000 in carrying on this great
service, and the state not fully covered
Duty of the Carriers.
You are the men upon whom as carriers
| In large part the responsibility for the
| success or failure OF this great system
depends. The duty that rests upon you
is grave one. Such a work should arouse
the pride and enlist the utmost efforts Of
every man engaged In It to do his full
duty. The government is paying enormous
amounts, and paying It cheerfully, but at
| last It comes right down to you gentlemen
to justify the expenditure and make the
| system successful. 1t can be done only by
efficient, honest and loyal discharge Of
the trust reposed in you. For your places
every one Of them, are places of trust
| Il want TO impress this point particularly:
me government is a good paymaster You
do not have to wonder and worry whether
| there will be money in the till to pay your
salaries at the end OF the month That is
worth thinking about You have your din
culties and hardships but what occupation
on earth has not? We are all too prone to
| feel that our particular lot is the hardest
on earth and that we do not get sufficient
| compensation. OF the S6S days In the year
when you exclude Sundays and holidays.
you have little more than 300 working days
Some days are hot and some are cold. but
there will hardly be more than sixty DAYS
Of any serious discomfort. 1t is an open
air employment and a healthful employ
ment How many people are there in the
crowded cities who would consider it great
good fortune to have such employment.
Good Service, Good Pay.
The departments sympathies are, and
always will be, with the men who faithfully
carry on this work in sunshine and in rain
in the daily rounds Of their duties l have
been intimately connected with the rural
free delivery service as a special agent
nearly from its organization feel sure
that the deDRrtment wants to see the men
fairly COMPENSATED. The department as
Postmaster General Corteiyou shows In the
address from which have already quoted
operates under definite limits Of law The
law has already raised the carriers salary
fron $500 at the beginning to $40 DER an
vi.
in this as in all other employments, the
central thought and striving should be tina
efficient performance of duty and making
the service valuable. Compensation and ali
like matters will follow In due time and
are to be promoted only within the rules
clearly laid down by law through the de-
partment.
THE department is bending every effort
to put this service on the highest possible
plane Of efficiency. You have every evil |
dence of this in the basing Of the system on
merit alone You remember how the
appointments to the position of car
rier were made In the early davs. |
Now the whole matter OF appointment "a |
entirely out OF the hands of the Post |
ONCE department and within the CLASSIFIED |
service under the Civil Service commission |
Political, social or other influence is Of |
absolutely no force. Your tenure OF ONCE |
as well as original appointment rests on |
merit alone and on the record you make |
for faithful and efficient work, This is no |
trivial or light service. but one of as much
responsibility as that or the postmaster
himself or any branch of place In the de-
partment. Do not think that you know
your route so perfectly that you can sleep
In your mail wagon. Carelessness will not |
do. This is the reason why cases occur in /
htAiNiA iilaiA - ictuiheu 70 the DO6LOElCe |
which should have been delivered upon
the route.
Knowledge OF the Rules.
1T is no light task 10 familiarize your |
selves with the rules and regulations and /
the orders OF the department These are /
numerous and are being continually
changed and added TO as the experience OF
the work points the way. They are not is
sued by chance or for amusement, but TO be |
obeyed. No carrier can discharge his duty /
OF make a creditable record without seri-
ously laying these matters to heart and
keeping strictly and without fail up 70 date.
II requires work, pains and serious atten-
ton, but Il makes an efficient carrier. The
patrons will not fail TO note the carrier
who thus qualities himself, they will know.
and appreciate Il. The service will also
show It. The department will know Il. You
can rest assured OF that.
''One OF the most important things Is
strict attention In making out your reports.
These are things that the department re-
quires and II is your duty 70 attend 10
them. Promptitude. accuracy and neatness
in hlling out and returning ali blanks are
absolutely necessary. A careless carrier.
who blunders In his reports. may cause no
end OF trouble and delay in the routine
If he dana IL