Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-12-22
RURAL CARRIERS RESIGN
They Are Leaving the Service at
Rate Of 400 Per Month.
SMALL SALARIES THE CAUSE
Assistant Postmaster DE Graw Favcrs
increased Pay in Order to Retsin
Competent Men.
special CORRESPONDENCE.


Washington, D. c.. Dec, 15.--Rural
mail carriers are resigning from the
service at the rate of 400 month.
Last month, the designations aggre-
gated nearly 500. Difficulty is being
experienced by the postoffice depart
ment not only in retaining, but in OBJ
tanning. the services of trustworthy
men in the capacity of rural carriers.
Some of these fine mornings said
Fourth Assistant Postmaster De Graw,
I'VE will wake up and find that we
have no rural mail service, If these
designations continue at the present
rate"
What is the trouble?'
Salaries" replied Mr. De Graw,
laconically. THE men, particularly
those on the more extended routes.
where the residences OF people are
scattered, discover after a trial, that
they cannot make enough fairly to pay
them for their time and labor. We pay
the rural carriers only $3.50 year
and they have to find themselves. 1t
has been demonstrated satisfactorily,
think, that this is not enough. The de-
partment is trying to induce congress
to increase the compensation Of rural
carriers, but 1t is an uphill job.
hope we may succeed. 1t must be evil
dent that we cannot retain the SER
vices of the right kind of men for
such salaries as we cow pay.
THE rural mail service has grown
immensely in few years and ilicreas-
ed demands are constantly being made
upon it. 1t has proved to be as popu-
lar as the city delivery and now has
become an absolute necessity. Despite
the small salaries paid the carriers,
we get very efficient service. The car
riers generally are loyal and prompt
and SO long as they remain in the SER
vice. do their work well. Throughout
the country, we had during the past
year 1866 carriers. That number has
been increased a good many hundreds
since the LIST of last July. The class
of men who are appointed as carriers
may be judged from the fact that, of
the more than $4,000 Een, only 167
were removed for cause during the
whole of the last fiscal year. In the
same period, however. the designations
of 4,441 carriers were accepted. That
is about IL per cent. of the entire mum.
ber Since the end of the fiscal year,
the percentage of designations has
jumped to Is per cent. ard before the
close of the year probably will be even
greater than that.
IF we do not succeed in obtaining
an increase of pay for the carriers,
we shall be confronted, before long,
with serious problem. In many in
stances, we shall be obliged to re-es-
tablish postoffices which we're discon.
tinued when the rural service was put
into operation. That il backward
step which, it is to be hoped, we may
not have to take
w hit w yOu tAC SOlhpCno
ton of carriers ought to be-"
Perhaps" said Mr.. De Graw, "the
compensation ought to be graded ac-
cording to the route | believe the
maximum pay for routes of twenty
five miles or more, should be 5000
year Some of the shorter routes
ought IN nav a little less than that
At any rate, a fiat salary of $3.50 per
annum is too small for man who
has to furnish his own horse and ve-
hicle and pay all of his own expenses.
| believe the arguments in support OF
the necessary increase will appeal to
congress and really hope that, in
short time, we shall be able to give the
carriers something like adequate pay"