The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-02-10
ASST. POSTMASTER'S
LENGTHY SERVICE
C. W. Wilcox Has Worked for
Government 81 Years
BECAME ASSISTANT IN 1875
Being Appointed by Postmaster G. H.
Mansur-was Placed on the Classi-
fed List Last December as Result Of
Presidential Order

Though Brattleboro has a new postma.s,,
ter the personnel OF the Office stan VIII
remain unchanged. A number Of years
ago the clerks and carriers in the Brattle
boro office were placed under the civil
service regulations thereby ensur1ng them
their positions SO long as they conducted
themselves in a way that allowed no cause
for removal. Last October President TAFT
decided to include assistant postmasters
in the list OF federal employees to be re
moved from the danger of changing adj
ministrations. After 81 years OF service
in the postofiice department, - OF which
have been consecutive, Charles w. Wiltoxi
Brattleboro's assistant postmaster, hnds
himself removed from the hazard OF a
change in the administration OF the gov.
eminent or a change in the official head OF
the local postoffice. He took the civil serv-
ice examination late in November and was
placed in the classified civil service Dec. i.
1t is safe to assume that the postoffice
department found no reason to doubt the
efficiency OF Mr.. Wilcox after his papers
had been examined by the civil service
commission. The papers showed that Mr..
Wilcox was named as assistant postmaster
Jan. /, 1878, by Postmaster G. II. Man
sur. On March /, 1856, Postmaster +. w.
Chids reappointed him as assistant post.
master and he held the position during
the II years of Mr.. Childs's administra-
d. p. Webster named Mr.. Wilcox as his
assistant and as such Mr.. Wilcox served
until March 10, 1904. On that date Dr.
Webster died and the following day Mr..
Wilcox was named as acting postmaster,
holding the position until April 30, 1904,
when the late Col. Herbert L. Taylor was
appointed postmaster. The day following
Colonel Taylor's appointment he named
Mr.. Wilcox as his assistant and as such
he served until the death OF Postmaster
Taylor, Jan. Is of this year Jan. IA
the bondsmen of the late postmaster ap-
pointed Mr.. Wilcox acting postmaster and
for the second time in his term of service
in the federal employ he became the head
of the Brattleboro office. With the APP
pointment of Kittredge Haskins as post.
master, Mr. Wilcox again becomes assis
tant postmaster.
While the examiners in the office of the
civil service commission at Washington
find many interesting things in looking
over the papers OF thousands OF applicants
for federal employment they rarely come
across a record OF a man working more
than what has generally come to be known
as the regular working day of nine or
possibly 10 hours. The official day in
Washington is eight hours in length and
overtime is something that federal EN-.
ployes are unacquainted with. When the
commissions examiners looked over Mr..
Wilcoxs papers they must have thought
that Vermonters get up early and go to
bed late. He was asked how many hours
he devoted daily to his duties as assistant
postmaster. He answered the question by
saying that he was on duty from II to Is
hours and sometimes from IA to 10 hours.
There wasn't any doubt in the minds of
the examiners as to Mr.. Wilcox being on
his job. He goes on duty at $50 in the
morning and works until 8 p. m. and fire.
quently later.
The. average patron of the local post
Office has no idea OF the amount of work to
be done outside of the handling of the
various mails. To the assistant postmas.
ter is delegated the job Of making up the
records and that it is somewhat Of task
may be seen, by the number of hours
which the assistant postmaster devotes to
it. The postoffice department calls for no
end OF reports and there are not great
many assistant postmasters in this coun.
try who can credit themselves with bay.
ing made 132 consecutive quarterly re.
ports or 397 consecutive monthly STAMP
reports to the department as Mr.. Wilcox
has done. For over 80 years he has made
all reports on postal account from the
Brattieboro office, kept nearly all of the
records of the office and had charge of or.
dering all supplies. This matter of supplies
Is by no means small item as about $40.