Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-12

per annum. Last year the maximum
pay was increased to $40. and still there
are plenty OF applicants for every va
cancy in the service. But It is admitted
on all sides that the pay is utterly in
adequate Tor the work performed The
average length Of each rural route is
twenty-five miles and this distance must
be made on schedule time, every day ia
the year except Sundays and holidays.
No carrier can keep up the service with
less than two horses, for beasts OF burden,
unlike men, break down under constant
work. The cost OF keeping two horses
is at least S2b per month under the mos;
favorable conditions and the expense OF
repairs and renewals to harness and
wagons foots UP conservative sum each
! month in addition. The carrier on a
rural route therefore puts in ten hours
OF hard work each day for a net salary Of
little more than $50 month. In these
days, when even farm laborers can earn
$50 to Ss5 a month besides board and
! washing, it will be seen that Uncle Sans
, postmen in the country are very poorly
! paid servitors.
Postmaster General Cortelyou has en-.
4 dorsed the recommendation of his as
sistant, Mr.. p. V. Degrew, that the salary
q
and the recommendation is expected to
! meet the approval of the president. The
! carriers themselves are we'll organized
and there is every reason TO believe that
the country generally, especially the rural
districts, will aid in the movement, es-
Lecially when it is recalled that the city
carriers minimum pay is greater thar
that OF his brother on the mud roads and
that he works but eight hours daily ana
has no horse to keep.
james u. YeOmans.
James D. Yeomans. who died here two
weeks ago, was the FIRST man ever ap
pointed to the Interstate Commerce com
mission from outside the legal fraternity
Mr.. Yeomans knew nothing Of the techni
calities Of the law, but he was railroad
man, literally, from the ground up. HI
had served On an engine, In charge o.
trains, as superintendent Of railroads and
a builder of iron and steel highways
There was no branch of the railroad bust
ness with which he was not familiar, and
his connection with the federal railwa!
commission was a distinct benefit to tina
body, as we'll as to the railroads and thu
shippers Scores of intricate and annoying
- problems were solved by his common sense
his knowledge OF men and roads, and hi
sterling if blunt way Of reaching for re
suits.
He resigned from the commission yea
ago last March to devote himself 10 hi
farm holdings In Virginia, and ae he wa
, lover of outdoor life, ss we'll - ~ prAc
teal agriculturist he accomplished gres
results with lands which had for year
been unproductive He was the principa
owner in the High Point Dairy farm
twenty miles below washington, where
herd of upwards OF 900 cows is maintained
The property consisted Of about 5Ooo acre
and the appointments of the dairy ar
second TO none in the country. Abou
three years ago he purchased apother farr
OF about $500 acres, also IN Virginia, bu
above Washington on the Potomac, wher
he made his summer home. Il was her
that the disease developed last summe
which resulted in his death.
]. d. Yeomans was an example Of steT
ling, sturdy Americanism. He was shor
on education, but he made up for the die
advantages Of his early schooling by usin
the hard common sense with which he wa
endowed TO the very best advantage OF hi
country, his family and himself.