The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-02-13
Expedition Keynote Of Postal Service
NO Economy in Employing
Too Little Help
MUST PUT IN OUTSIDE WORK
In Order That They May Pass FIRE.
quent Examinations They Must
Study at Home

Conditions as to hours, of labor for
clerks in post offices have become so
bad that the clerks assembled in con-
vention, this year decided by unani-
nous vote that their greatest and
most pressing need is the establish
ment OF legal eight-hour day.
Postotfice clerks occupy the unique
position of being practically the only
class Of government employees who
are not protected by any act OF Con-
sress, limiting in any way their hours
of labor. The principle Of an eight
hour day for government employees
is we'll established. In recent years
this principle has even been extend
ed to cover the employees OF private
contractors who might be employed
on a government contract. 1t is dl-
ficult to understand why this gen.
orally recognized principle should not
be legally extended to cover postoftice
clerks.
There are reasons of great econo-
mic value why the eight-hour day
should be extended to post-otfice
clerks.
Expedition is the very keynote of
tho postal service. To advance the
deli, cry Of the mails is the aim ara
ambition Of everybody identified with
tie postal service. The postal ser
ice is lightly considered by evers
business man as an adjunct to his
own particular business. If there b2
delay in the transmission of his com"
n,nnications, his business will natur-
ally suffer.
Where can there be any real econ
omy in failing to employ enough
clerks to expeditiously distribute the
mails in the post offices, and thus
make the quickest possible connec-
tions with these fast mail TRAINS
which must leave on schedule?
Where there is not a sufficient
force of clerks to clean up the mails
in day of eight hours, then 1t may
safely be assumed that importantmall
is being delayed because of missing
train connections. This is OF vital
concern to the commercial world.
The great majority Of post Office
clerks work at night, under artificial
light, constantly exercising both DO
DIV and brain, and in quarters that are
often unsanitary.
Besides their hours in the post
Office, the clerks must devote other
hours of study in their home to
master the difficult "schemes' of mail
distribution, that they may be ex-
pert in handling the mail.
The clerks are constantly subject
ed to examinations to determine their
knowledge in distribution. Every er-
ror made is checked against the clerk
and taken into consideration when
his promotion is considered. In per-
iods of stress and emergency the
clerks will gladly perform overtime
duty, only asking that for each ex'
ira hour they receive the same com
pensation they would receive for any
other hour. The clerks are not un'
reasonably demanding that they be
compensated for their overtime at the
rate of double time Or time and half
which is the usual custom in private
employment.
In recent message to Congress
the President declared himself to be
in favor of extending the eigh-houl
day to all government employees. 1r
this message the president suggested
that the business Of the government
might be embarrassed If any arbitra
ry eight-hour day was in effect. The
president suggested that the govern
ment have sufficient leeway in deal
ing with it's employees to work then
more than eight hours day in emer
gencies, and to compensate them TO-
the extra time employed.
The postoffice clerks of the coun
try heartily endorse this sentimen
of the president, and are hoping tina
congress will soon enact Legislation
that will extend the eight-hour da.
to the postoffice clerks, both in tn
interests of justice to the clerk an
the higher development of eficienc
in the postal service.
Congressman Thomas L. Reilly, 0
Connecticut, has introduced a bill i