The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-03-30
BY c. w. JENNINGS.

lNA VI OONOA Oh youAAG AAANAA a. ~AAA
X@N your town or city have en-
NWZE tered the railway mail
.71Ts service and are now regu-
larly employed in that
work or have risen to higher positions
in the same line. Now your promis-
ing boy can take up the work and sue
coed IN it, If he happens to like this
sort of employment. 1t is agreeable
work, and fairly remunerative and
there is high success possible as re-
ward for industry If your boy will stay
with It, besides the advantages of be-
Ing employed by the government un-
der civil service regulations. That
makes employment certain as long as
the worker attends to business. Thus
that now and then disturbs the indus
trial world and may look upon his
career as flxed-an advantage that Is
more attractive than high salary
with possibility that business re-
verses of ones employer or other
causes may compel him to look for an
other Job without warning.
This is how to go about it getting
into the railway mail service: Write
a letter to the United States Civil
Service Commission at Washington,
stating that you wish to enter the rail-
way mail service, and you will receive
full information as to the general
preparation required, physical and
mental qualifications, as we'll as the
time and place of the next examina-
ton to be held in your vicinity. Your
boy must pass the civil service tests
before he is eligible to appointment;
but examinations are held at frequent
intervals in various parts of the coun-
try. often enough and sufficiently near
to where he lives so that he can ar
range to attend them without diff
Guilty. At some time in the year every
State has it's examination for the rail-
way mail service.
Your boy must be between 10 and
IS years of age to take the eXamina-
ton, and must be at least feet s
inches in height and weigh 100 pounds.
The subjects Of examination are as
follows: Spelling, arithmetic, letter
writing, penmanship, copying from
plain copy, political geography of the
United States, reading addresses, and
systems of railway transportation.
The test in reading addresses consists
of comparing a number Of written adj
dresses with printed copy ON which
various errors are purposely made.
The questions on systems of railway
transportation will be confined to rail-
roads entering and running through
the railway division in which the ap-
plicant lives and connecting the prin-
cipal cities or important railway cen.
tiers within or near it's borders; also
junction points on these railway
routes. The country is at present di.
vided into Is divisions, according to
the distribution of volume of mail
traffic. For example, the first division
includes the New England states; the
second, New York, New Jersey, Penn
sylvania, Delaware, the eastern shore
of Maryland, and Accomac and North.
ampton counties, Virginia; the 18th
division, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas
and New Mexico, and so on.
Having passed this examination,
your boys name Is added to the list of
eligibles, and he awaits the summons
from Uncle Sam that informs him that
there is substitute job awaiting him.
This means that somebody is ill or has
been transferred, or that there is
sudden increase Of work and he is
wanted to take some place temporar-
1ly He will remain on the substitute
list for year or year and half,
according to the needs of the service;
but during that time he will be paid at
the rate of $500 year for the time he
works. After that he will be given
regular appointment at which he must
work on probation for six months be-
fore being sull fledged postal clerk
However, the time he served as substi-
tute is deducted from this probation
period, and, if he has served for at
least six months, which is likely, as
he will have worked as substitute at
least half the time-he will get his full
appointment at once, at salary of
5000 a year, or SIS month.
fow he will be at his regular work,
With no doubts OF future employment
and steady promotion on ahead of
him. His duties will be on mail cars,
where he will work for eight hours or
more a day, according to the require
ments of his particular route.
His work will be the distribution
and routing of mail. This sounds SIM
pie enough; but 1t means that he
should know the proper and speediest
route to send letter that comes from
anywhere and goes anywhere In or