Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-03-15
EVICT RAILWAY MAIL CLERKS
Government Will No Longer Permit
Their Sleeping at Postoffice.
ORDER ISSUED AT WASHINGTON
DormItory and Rest Room Main
tanned at Omaha POstOffice
TO he Abandoned After
April I.

And now the railway mail clerks are w
against it again This time they are to
be evicted from the rest rooms in the fed
eral building. Since the completion OF the
great structure in Omaha certain rooms
have been kept for the uses OF the railway
mail clerks who were laying over here be-
tween runs. These rooms were fitted up
for lounging and dormitory purposes and
were OF great convenience to the men in
the mail service. Under recent order
from the Treasury department. which has
control of the building, after April l the
rest rooms and dormitories are to be
abandoned, and the men will have to find
headquarters and accommodations else
where.
One Of the members Of an Omaha-Chicago
crew thus unburdens himself on the sub
iect:
I'VE are ordered to vacate the rooms on
the fourth floor of the postoffice, which are
occupied as dormitory and reading room,
by the LIST OF April. No reason Is assigned,
but the clerks believe It Is an effort to
deprive them Of a central point where they
may meet and talk over conditions on the
various lines centering in Omaha. Il is be-
lieved also to be the plan of the Postoffice
department to abolish all dormitories In
public buildings because Of the fact that
the per diem allowance to clerks for ex-
penses on the road was increased by the
last congress.
Conditions OF Employment.
During the last year they have received
the munificent sum of cents for a meal
and cents for a bed. after having been
on duty for twelve hours. The last con-
gress made a permanent law and increased
the amount to 81 per day, but under pres
sure OF the Hitchcock retrenchment policy
appropriated only enough money to pay
half that amount. Now the clerks are be-
ing ordered out of the public buildings, so
their sleeping expenses will be more than
doubled, An effort Is being made here to
organize a stock company among the clerks
and rent a place where adequate facilities
for their accommodation may be had.
None of the fair promises made by the
department recently have been lived up to
except that few delayed promotions have
been made on lines where the most dis.
content was manifested. The men are
working harder now than ever before and
still all the bling lines from the east are
going stuck and hauling the mail up and
down the road until 1t is worked. Tuesday
morning the Burlington fast mail, No Is
brought in over a ton and a half of un.
worked mail, and there has been but few
mornings in the last week when there has
not been this amount and sometimes more
On the Northwestern an extra duty SEIZED.
ule has been arranged and the clerks are
again forced to work during their layofi
period without extra compensation and
with no allowance for the extra expense
to which they are put thereby, The in
surgency movement grows apaoe and UNI
lees the conditions are ameliorated a gen
eral resignation of the clerks may be looked
for and Postmaster General Hitchcock be
given an opportunity TO make good his
threat to get 1900 better men If we need
them