Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-12-18

| er than the entrance salary in the
railway mail service. The purpose
Of this Legislation is 10 briag about
ian interchangeable personnel be.
tween the railway mail scr9lce and
the postofflce service, vita a view to
more effective utilization of the tn
! tire force of postal employees and to
afford better opportunities for the ad-
vancement of worthy and efficient
clerks in postofficcs, .
In connection with what is referred
to as the "pr0digious growth" of the
/ parcel post service, particularly, Mr.
Burleson discusses additional COM
pensation to the railroads for carry.
ing the mails. He says that data is
being secured by the department
which will enable him to lay before
congress at a later date his conclu-
sions "as to what will be just and
adequate compensation for all serv-
ices which the railroads have render
ed or will be called upon to render
the government"
1t is pointed out that the mailings
of newspapers and periodicals as
second class matter at the one.cent-
a-pound rate and free in the county
of publication, for the first time in
the history OF the postal service eX-
ceeded billion pounds during the
last, fiscal year"
In connection with the transporta.
tion of magazines and other bulky
second class matter by fast freight,
instead OF by the regular mail routes,
| the postmaster general expresses
earnestly the hope that congress
will remove the prohibition against
the extension of this system of han
ding second class matter and enable
the department to apply it where
found practicable"
1t is the announced purpose of Mr.
Burleson not to encourage the extern
sion of free delivery of mails in vii
lagos. because of the inferiority of
the service and the iimpossibility to
secure economical administration of
it. 1t is his intention therefore,
wherever practicable, to utilize the
services of rural carriers for the de.
] livery of mails in small towns.
. On that phase of the service, the
| report says:
AS rural routes emanate from prac.
tically all of the places where this
village delivery service would be de-
sired, the carriers should be used tc
make such deliveries as may be desir
able and feasible to the residents OF
the villages. The compensation Of
rural carriers, however, at this time
is based on the length of their routes
and to make them available FOR the
service indicated their salaries should
be based upon an eight-hour day
With this change, these carriers soulG
be used not only to supplement the
general delivery service as Indicated
but in many instances in the delivery
Of parcel post matter, as well. thu:
obviating the necessity for additional
horse hire for the delivery of the
larger packages. The compensation
Of rural carriers should, therefore b.
!. changed from mileage to an eight
| hour basis, and these carriers shoult
/ be permitted to deliver mail regard
less Of the distance from the post
!: oftice,4or the corporate ,limites Of Til
city or town.. ~
In conclusion, Postmaster Genera
I Burleson points out that the postofflc,
department is essentially business
institution, which touches every HON,
/ in the land. A high standard Of eff
cieny is demanded Of all postal EN-
1 ployes and he says that he will re
quire from every postmaster his indi
vidual attention to the affairs Of hi
Office, and that this requirement will
| be. rigidly enforced.
| "For this reason, he says, 9Th,
! merit system should be adhered tt
in the postoffice department, above
all others, in order to secure the yer.
highest standard of efficiency in TIL,
conduct Of its affairs.