The Washington times., 1911-02-02

postal clerks are constantly obleetng
j to this sort of a condition. but the ad-
ministration here seems to regard them
as simply parties In interest seeking TO
avoid a proper amount of work.
From personal observations on some
routes ] know that the situation is very
| serious and that, although the clerks
are working overtime, they find 1t i'm
possible TO handle the mail according
to the schedule of the trains.
Not Peculiar to One State.
Speaking on the same subject, that OF
inefficiency In the railway mail service,
Representative Kendall. of Iowa, said:
''The condition described by the gen.
tlemal from South Dakota (Mr. Mar
TIM is not peculiar to his State. The
practice Of the department is as sug-
gested by the gentleman from Indiana
(Mr. Crumpacker). When one of the
railway postal clerks becomes Ill and
disabled SO that he cannot perform his
duties the practice is to require his as
sociates In that service to take his place
during their lsy-oh period without ad-
ditional compensation. The consequence
has been that in one route In Iowa, with
which am familiar one clerk has
worked forty-six nights without any lay
off or any additional compensation be-
yond what he would have received If he
had worked the regular time. This evil
finds its origin in the department at
Washington. The gentleman from South
Dakota describes IL as a 'spasm of econ
omy.' like that term as applied to the
operations Of this department The de-
partment has entered upon the program
of limiting expenditures everywhere, but
protest against its applying that doc
trine to the railway mail clerk, the ru-
raj carrier, and other people engaged
in the more arduous and dangerous part
OF the service. l hope some instruction
may be given to the department here
which will obviate the conditions COM
planned Of by the gentlemen from In
diana, South Dakota, and myself"
In the Northwest.
Regarding the conditions in the North
west, Representative Willis c. Hs wiley
of Oregon makes this complaint
I'm the chief city OF our State the
complaint has been made for con-
siderable period that the mails came
are delayed in their delivery in the city
many hours very frequently; that this
condition arises from the fact that not
only are insufficient clerks put on the
runs, but that when vacancies have oc-
CURED in higher classes no promotions
those positions, and the force Is reduced
thereby"
Representative Hitchcock of Nebraska
asserts that "a change has recently oc-
the Western States, and which resulted
I'm a considerable delay in the mails
and overwOrk in the force"
In debate on the subject Representa-
tive Hitchcock added:
Il want TO state to the gentleman
that out in the West II Is said to be
such a material increase In hours that
the railway mail service throughout the
whole State OF Nebraska, and, ] think,
Kansas and Minnesota, are in an up
roar and serious complaints at the
present time are made about the clerks
being compelled to work these extra
hours, without any act OF Congress, put
simply by some administrative order,
and who are also compelled to do the
work of extra clerks who were formerly
paid, and whenever any clerk becomes
iii they are also compelled to 90 the
work instead of a substitute, and there
is a great deal of uproar in the west
at this time.
designations Increasing.
. "I notice the percentage of resigna-
tions has been increasing materially.
and l have not any hesitation in pre-
dieting that If this policy is continued
as it has been started 1t is likely to
result in more designations and in Grip
pling the service to a still greater ex-
tent. / am speaking not only for the
mail clerks, but for the business men
throughout the West, and think we
should at least have a specific and care
full statement of what is proposed"
During this same debate on the ques-
ton of inefficiency in the railway mail
service several Representatives from
the East contributed their protests or
grievances. Representative Mitchell of
Massachusetts, called attention to the
fact that the press Of his state had
called attention TO conditions similar
TO those described by the midwest and
tiVaS