The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-02-28

day. And as to their being over-work-
ed, / really do not think there is
many of them seriously thinking of re-
signing from the service.
While | am willing to admit that
eight hours a day is probably enough
for any man to have to work on any
day and that he ought to have one
day of complete rest in seven, there is
some kind of employment where this
can not be made to work. Take the
telephone employees as an example.
They have to work on Sundays and no
one would think one moment OF clos
ing the telephone exchange on Sun
day, on matter how hard it may be on
the employees, and this will apply to
our street cars, railroad, and all pub
lie service employees.
But it is said that the p o. is gov
ernment institution and is an excep-
ton. Admitting this to be true, why
make an exception out of the en-
ployes of the local P. O.? Why not ex-
tend it to all employees of the Postal
service. There are two reasons why;
the main one is that it would disar-
range the whole system of mail trans
portation for the railway mail force
to lay off on Sunday and they will just
have to stay at their post. Another
reason the r. NJ. C.'s and their branch
of the service being almost if not al
together under the civil service COM
mission, have no political pull; they
are not even allowed to present any
grievance or to use any influence in
any way to try to bring about bet
terment of their condition and their
job depends entirely on their ability
and their efficiency while on the other
hand there is no one so blind or so
big fool that he does not know that
every postffice in the United States
above a fourth grade is a political as
set to whatever political party that
happens to be in power and az rule
the majority of the employees of these
offices get and hold their jobs through
political pull regardless Of efficiency
or justice, and some of them could not
get from any other employe half the
salary that they are drawing from the
government.
This criticism may not apply to this
office here in Ardmore but it will ap-
ply to many others and should it not
apply to our office or any of its en-
ployes, | am ready to bet dollars to
doughnuts that if they fail to get the
office closed on Sunday that not one
of them hands in his resignation on
that account, as much as he may be
kicking now about his hardships.
What about this over-work claim
anyway? I will venture to say that
you can hardly find public service
employe who does not work in the
aggregate or upon an average more
hours a day than the mail carriers in
Ardmore. The mail carrier works As
hours during the week and four on
Sunday, making 50 hours during the
week and draws from $50 to $50 1-3
month.
The telephone operators work their
5S 1-2 hours a week and draw from
s25 to s35 a month.
The railway mail clerk, it is true,
has his two days off for his two days
run, but in the two days run he puts
in 30 hours and on his return home
it takes him four or five hours to post
up his books and make out his reports
and the next day it takes him at least
two hours to make out and stamp his
two days run of slips. thus putting in
80 hours in the four days, eight and
three fourths hours day or over sixty
hours a week for which he receives
from s66 1-3 to s93 1-3 a month in ad-
dition to the amount of work he does
he has to pay his expenses at the 9th
er end of the road, hazardous rates of
insurance and carry accident insur-
ance and be all the time in danger Of
losing his life and, while he knows the
danger, being an intelligent fellow, he