Las Vegas optic., 1912-03-29
WORKED FOR U. 5.
SIXIY-TWO
YEARS
OLD EMPLoYE OF THE POSTAL
SYSTEM HAS DECIDED
TO QUIT.

Washington, March 20.-James G.
Kerr, clerk in the mailing division
of the Chicago postoffice, has sent in
his resignation after 81 years in the
postal service. which is the record.
Kerer is going back to Ohio, his native
state. to spend the remainder of his
days with relatives. He is now "a
years old. He entered the service IL
years before the outbreak of the Civ
il war. Postmaster-General Hitchcock
has written him personal note OF
commendation.
Kerr was born in Mentor, o., the
birthplace of President Garfield, April
1S, 1928. March 1, 1850, Kerr enter
ed the service as clerk in the post
office at Painesville, o. Two years
later he was transferred 70 Cleveland,
where he remained for one year. Sep
tember Is, 1853, he was appointed a
clerk in the Chicago postoffice, where
he served, except for a period of six
months, when he was out of service,
until 1861, when he was transferred
to Pittsburgh. In the latter pare
Of 1861 he was sent to Washington.
From here he was detailed to open
postoffice at Norfolk, Va, for the de-
livery of soldiers mail during the
war. In December, 1868, he returned
to Washington and remained until the
close of the war.
Kerr's next assignment was In the
railway mail service as an extra
clerk, performing service alternately
on the line between Washington and
New York and between Washington
and Weldon, N. c. For three months
he continued on this run, when he
was appointed chief clerk of the
Cleveland and st. Louis Railway post
office, with headquarters in indian
apolis After three years he returned
to the railway mail service headquar
ters in Washington as chief clerk oil
the Washington and Lynchburg Rail-
way postoffice and the Baltimore &
Ohio Railway postoffice lines. After
three months he was assigned to the
Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway
postoffice, holding this run for three
years. From here he was sent to
Chicago, his last billet
I'm Chicago Kerr says. II saw
probably the oldest if not the first
and only strike among postal clerks.
Postmaster Cook was banker, be
sides being postmaster. He was ac-
customed to pay his clerk hire in the
scrip of his bank once every three
months. The postoffice department
refused to allow Cook for his clerk
hire, but he kept this information
from his clerks and reduced their sal.
aries, and made the reduction apply
to the compensation that he had paid
for the preceding quarter. More than
this, he took the notes of clerks tc
cover drawbacks from future salaries
zone afternoon thk clerks took q
holiday and went to the theater
When they came back there were sew
eral wagon loads of California mai
that had come arounU via the Isthmus
of Panama. When the clerks saw the
mountain of work before them they
rebelled. A man named Knowles lee
the revolt by throwing down the mai
he held in his hands. There were
half dozen westerners in the crew
and they all went sSr, leaving the
other clerks, myself among them, tC
do the work. Az that time all letters
had to be billed and wrapped in pa
per. Postmaster Cook nad raked the
town to get help, bat the clerks he
got gave poor service"
Kerr is widower, without children
He will spend his declining years
with relatives in Painesville, where
he entered the postal service.