The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-24
WOMEN IN POSTAL SERVICE.
va PREJI DICE AGAINST OR
PREFERENCE ron THEN.


WashsagsSa asd n. 20 as Uerks IN
Pest 0asces -Prsbabs, 80 Wsmea
Postmaster u the Feursh CIass.
WASHINGTON. Dec. $50 many con
6ieting eports have been circulated as 20
the status Of womsn in the postal service
that Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Desraw has prepared a statement defining
the attitude Of the Department toward the
appointment; OF women. The Department
wishes the announcement to 60 forth that
there 10 DO truth in the report that women
will be favored 70 the exclusion Of men.
mol 10 there I'M basis in fact for the state
nent that women viii not be appointed az
all when men can be secured. The Fourth
Assistant brands as q canard the story that
no married women will b a~ppointed'at all.
He refused to discuss the r1mor that seems
to have gone everywhere hat preference
would be shown 70 women who were seps-
rated from their husbands.
That's Q joke he said, 'snd should be
treated only 90 Q joke. For that reason
IL is not entitled TO serious consideration
Only last week the Civil Service Commits
sion received a letter from a woman out
West who ssid that II IL were true that
preference was 10 be given women sepa-
rated from their husbands she would
throw the old man over in a minute The
officers OF the Department a also heard
from women who were iaboring under the
impression that there was a prejudice In the
postal service against their As1. These fair
correspondents express their opinions in
vigorous language Of the men who were
supposed to be responsible.
The Department announce. that there
has not been and is not now any discrimina-
ton against the employment Of women in
positions where they can properly be placed.
1T il the experience Of the Department"
said Fourth Assistant DeGraw, that women
in any line Of work in which their employ
ment is practics bic are usually careful
and faithful public servants. In some
branches OF the postal establishment. such
a. the railway mail service and the city
delivery service, the conditions are such
as 10 make the employment Of women
mpracticable.-
The records show that at the end Of the
fiscal year. June 30 last, 300 women, or Is. IS
per cent. Of the total number Of clerks in the
Department in Washington. were women.
The salaries they received ranged from
SEQ 70 81 500 a year. The average clerical
salary Of the women is $40 20. again st
81 .250 d for men, and the average subor-
dinate salary. t4O2 n. compared with $3.50 p
for male employees.
1T il not possible TO furnish complete
figures showing the number Of women
employed in the service outside Of Wash
ington.- kaid Mr.. DeGraw as in many
cases the sex is not indicated by the paper
Of the sppointee. At the end Of the fiscal
. there were in first and second GLASS
post ofices lea assistant postmasters who
we're women. In the grades below that
position there were n 600 women employed
Ing from $500 TO 81 100 per year. There are
probably zoo women postmasters Of the
fourth class, but no figures are available
in this instance nor In those OF mail mes-
sengers or contractors, although there are
hundreds OF women acting In both branches.
There are no women carriers in Che city
delivery service, but women are employed
as carriers in Ia rural service TO a limited
extent. Out Of a total OF IS GO regular rural
carriers 2Ss are women. A. sub-carriers
are nominated by the regulars, IL frequently
happens that the wife, daughter or other
woman member Of the carriers family is
named. The number Of women applying
for these places II small.
1T 10 the experience OF the Department
that some Of the best rural carriers in the
service are women. They are usually
ca reful, painstaking and faithful en-
ployees, With proper appreciation Of their
responsibilities as custodians Of the mails.
Occasionally there have been complaints
against women carriers-one because the
carrier felt that her position gave her an OPP
portunity TO deliver lectures on the evils
Of intempersnce. Another who was mar
RED and had req red a family found IL diff
cult 10 submit 10 the directions Of the post
master.
On the other hand, an instance Ia cited
where a woman carrier, during a severe
storm. finding ii impossible to proceed
over her entire route, returned over another
road and came 20 a bridge across a creek
where the water had risen so high as to
submerge the bridge. In endeavoring to
drive across, the horse, vehicle and occu-
pant were thrown into the water. The
carrier pluckily moi only rescued her horse
and vehicle. but recovered the sack con-
tanning the mail"