The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-02-19
RAILWAY MAIL
Clerk Writes Of the Service, ~ Ex'
actions and Pay,

Clerk Writes Of the Service, III Bx-
actions and Pay
The railway mail service d |he United
States IS organized With general head
squatters III Washing gton; q C., and di-
vIkjoisal headquarters u twelve princi-
81 fjties 81 the country First division,
81 Boston, Mass Second division,
at 9eU of) Third division, at
azhi1IStd1I, ". C.; Fourth division, at
Z 4 {lIalitl, 4a; fifth division, atCincin-
81 lEi. O. Sixth division, at Chicago, Ill.
s3|eIth division, at ST. Louis, Mo-;
iklltll division, at San Francisco, CAL;
Ninth division, at Cleveland, o.; Tenth
sdivision, at st. Paul, Mimi; Eleventh
division, at Fort Worth, Tex; Twelfth
division, at New Orleans, La.
Memphis is situated in the Fifth di-
vision railway mail service, which COM
sprises the States-o Ohio, Indiana, Ken
lucky and Tennessee. In this connec-
ton it will be interesting to the readers
OF the Commercial Appeal to know that
Memphis enjoys the unique distinction
of being the only city in the United
States receiving mail direct from six Of
these twelve districts, viz. I. The Fourth,
Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eleventh and
Twelfth.
There are about 10000 clerks and
officers, 1000 assigned to duty in the
railway mail cars aud 900 IS transfer
clerks, Office clerks and II supervisory
capacities. The occupation is included
in the civil service, and 20 enter it, il is
necessary to pass an examination re-
quiring at least an academic education;
there Is also a strict physical examina-
ton, and the standard is higher than
that required to Z III our army and
navy When the appointment is re-
ceiyed clerk issgiven scheme OF dis
tribution Of all postoffices in some State,
meaning that he is to learn and remem-
berthe location. of each postoffice, be it
on railroad orstage route, and at reg
ular intervals he is called for examina-
ton on that State until he is able to
give exactly such location of all the
postofices. Then he is given another
State to learn, until he acquires perfect
knowledgehof the location of from 5000
to Is, 1000 postofiices in different States,
the knowledge of the number of offices
varyingg on account of location Of his
run ofs line of railroad upon which his
ASSIGNMENT places him. On the Louis
vile & Nashville railroad running into
Afemphis, which perhaps has the heavi-
Est distribution assignment of any line
in this part of the country, clerks are
required to study and be examined up
on all the postoffiees in the States of
Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ar
kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Tex
as, as well as the location Of all busi-
ness firms in the city Of Memphis and
the number of letter carrier who delivers
the mail to each firm. This requires an
accurate knowledge Of the location of
about IL 200 postoffices and firms. He
has to know also the railroad time ta-
bles or schedules of the State he dis
tributes mail for; and as these are con-
stantly changing it is necessary to be
eternally vigilant. There are weekly
changes in his schemes of distribution
which he receives each week; new post
offices established, others discontinued
and still others have changes of supply,
requiring the unlearning of things once
learned as well as constant acquisition
of new Information. 1t takes about
four years Of 'tbis sort of study, accom-
panied byAsteady work in the postal car,
to make a good clerk out of the average
recruit, and then one has to keep up
the grind SO long as he remains in
the service; there is never any cessation
Of either study or work. On all the
heavier lines they are granted regular
lay-off periods for recuperation and
study, but all time belongs to the Gov
eminent and clerks are liable to be.
called for extra duty at any time.
EFFIc1ENcI OF SERVICE.
Now about the efficiency Of the sery-I
ice. Ninety per cent. Of all mail mat
ter originating in this country and a
very large amount fnllllions of pieces
from foreign countries Is handled in