The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-11
POSTAL BUSINESS GROWS.
Department Figures Are Exceeded
Only BY Those OF Treas.
ury.


ury.
WASHINGTON, January l1-As ;
business institution, the Post Office
Department, nelt 10 the United State.
Treasury, is the greatest in the gov
eminent According to figures sub
united by Charles P. Grandfield, frs
assistant postmaster general, fol- Tx
fiscal year ended June so, 1909, mad,
public today in his annual report, tbs
gross revenue Of The postal service
reached the enormous total of S203,
1888, an increase of s12,0S3,f20, OF
6.S1 per cent, over the preceding
year,
There were 1902 presidential posi-
offices on July l. 1909 Of this mum
Der 39S were first-class, an increase Of
IA; 1907 were second-class, an increase
of liz, and 5097 were third-class, an
increase of $50 The total increase in
the number of presidential offices was
S56. There We're. 1444 post Office es
tablished during the year and 200i
discontinued leaving a total of 60,144
post offices in operation on June so,
1909.
During the year 1926 postmasters
were appointed at presidential offices.
At fourth-class Offices 916l po:tnlas-
4 tiers We're appointed.
Concerning the routine of his bu-
reau, DIR. Grandfield says:
Rates Of Expenditure Announced.
The annual rate of expenditur, Tor
the salaries of presidential pos.rias
tiers on July 1, 1909. was as follows:
First class, s1.40S 500; second class,
s4,012,400; third class, 81 S44 800:
making total of $12,765, 800.
| At the close of the fiscal year there
were 1878 assistant postmasters at
! first and second class. offices. an in
I crease of 116. The number of clerks
at first and second class offices in
! creased from 2S,220 to 29,930, and the
carrier force at city delivery Offices
from 26,352 to 27.62o, being net in.
crease of 1710 clerks and 1868 carr
iers.
The retention Of fourth-class post
masters during sa isfactory service has
become the established practice Of the
department, and the policy of recon-
mending the reappointment of pres:
dental postmasters, who have proved
efficient, has been followed consist
emily. with highly beneficial results.
It is recommended that the law be
so amended as to provide for the adj
vancement of an Office of the fourth
class to the presidential class when
ever the compensation of the post
master amounts to $1,000 and the
gross annual receipts to $500 for four
successive quarters. The offices that
would be affected by such change
in the statute are mainly those locat-
ed at summer and winter resorts.
where large business equivalent to
that of q presidential oBce, is trans
acted during one or two quarters.
Clerks Receive Higher Pay.
In number of cases at rapidly
growing offices the salary of the assist
ant postmaster is actually less than
that allowed the principal clerks, due
to the operation of the law governing
the promotion of clerks and carriers
and the fact that the appropriation
for assistant postmasters for the cur
rent fiscal year does not provide an
adequate number Of positions in GER
tain grades. There should be a maxi
mum and minimum salary for assist
ant postmasters fixed by law and suffi.
Gent latitude allowed in the appro-
priation act to prevent this anomalous
condition.
In some sections Of the country, es-
peeially in the mining regions of the
West, it has been difficult to make
rier forces at the initial salary pre-
scribed by law. Wages in all lines
o. employment are high in these COM
munities, and the entrance salary OF
5000, fixed by the act of March 2, 1907.
is not sufficient to induce competent
men W enter Lne pOSLdl service, even
with the assurance of annual promotion
To meet such emergencies it has been
necessary in some instances to grant
postmasters an allowance for the en-
ployment CT clerks and carriers at the
rate of 30 cents an hour and in others
to make allowance from the appropria-
ton for unusual conditions 1t is real
lied that it was not intended that
these appropriations should be used
in that manner, but the department
has been compelled to grant such
allowances in order to keep the post
office manned with competent en-.
ployes.
Grandfield Recommends Vacation.
DR.. Grandfield makes a strong argu-
ment IN favor OF thirty days annual
ieaye for clerks and carriers in first
class and second-class offices.
At the close of the fiscal year there
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