Evening star., 1913-12-04
The POSTAL SERVICE
XIII.-Postal Organizations.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

tH BY Frederic j. HaSK1n. III
Tie postal service of tie United States
gives employment to about 175.O0O people.
outside OF those who work under con-
tract. such as star route carriers and
employees OF the screen wagon service in
the cities The main body Of these en-
ployes represent a high type of the mid
dle-class citizenship OF the country, most
of them men with ideas and ideals. and
ready to promote their own interests in
particular and those Of the postal service
in general.
Under previous administrations oTgani-
cations OF postal employees were encour-
aged TO take up and consider nlattels
outside Of their relations with the fost
Office Department and the government
but they were rigidly debarred from tax
ing their affairs up with Congress or
otherwise doing anything that might De
construed as going over the heads OF the
departmental officials. Under the present
administration there is different policy,
but it probably is too early to predict
What the outcome will be-
Of the total number Of employees OF the
postal service more than a hundred thou-
sand are letter carriers In the city oe-
livery offices and clerks in post olnces
other than the fourth class. There are ma
tionai associations of letter carriers ana
ais, national associations OF post once
clerks They meet annually. and thelr
membership rolls show probably ma
jority of those on the rolls OF the postai
service While they have had an I'M
rortant hand in the promotion OF lnea,
interests and were somewhat Instruments
in getting the increased salaries that were
granted in 1897 they have never oeen as
active politically as some of the o'"ei
associations of postal employees
Perhaps the most influential of all the
associations of postal employees Is the
National Asso-
pu,al rarrjers citation of Rural
Letter Carriers.
Well Provided FoI Most of these
men have been more less interested in
political matters in their respective COM
rnunilies and usually the members OF
Congress from their several districts re-
gard them rs valuable friends TO have
when "a congressional election comes
around The result has been that the
rural carriers have got their share OF at
tention at the hands of Congress, and
have no reason to complain that ii has
been parsimonious when their interests
are pending in the House and the Senate
The association has a membership of
about 5000 carriers. and paper is pub
lished in Washington devoted TO their
interests.
The rural carriers association is now
making a campaign 10 me up every
rural carrier iii the country as Il member
With the development OF the parcel post
there is a possibility of great expansion
In their business, and they want TO In
crease il. since that may mean extra
work and extra compensation With
solid front it is claimed. the asS3ciation
could in many ways promote the efh-
cheney of the parcel post and increase the
amount of business using IL in such
way that the rural mail service would
become the most important of the factors
in the reduction of the high cost of living
10 the city consumer.
one of the most active OF ali the postal
associations of the country has been the
National Association of Railway Mall
Clerks. 1t has a larger membership In
proportion TO the total number of eligibles
than any other of the associations of pos
tai employees.
The association was organized many
years ago and has had a long and honor
able career.
Mail Clerks Body There have
Has Had Its Storms. its bistorv
when it was asserted by many that ii
used by its officers to feather their
own nests. leaving the rank and file to
hold the bag.
As proof OF this il was cited that for
years every increase of salary that came
vas given TO the class of clerks from
which the officers of the association came
and that as soon as a man rose to promi-
nence in the association he got a better
berth in the service. while those who re-
mained in the ranks continued in their
own places. \ few years ago there was
an upheaval in the association as re-
suit of that widespread belief among the
members. and the coterie who had domi-
mated the association for years and had
advanced their own personal interests
rather than those OF the association were
unceremonously kicked out
This association, like many others in
the postal service. maintains an accident
and benefit insurance business operated
on the mutual basis. and during its ca
reer it has helped thousands of it's mem
bers who have been injured, and thou
sands OF dependents who have seen those
upon whom they depended for support
killed In accidents
Zach OF the principal classes OF post
masters have their national associations
Ihe nrst-class postmasters' association is
the smallest of all the postal associations
In point OF numbers. there being less than
nve hundred Arst-class postmasters in
the United States. But the character OF
the business they do may be inferred
from the statements that more than half
OF all the postal revenues of the country
originate in the fifty largest Offices of the
country. and that two-thirds of all the
postal income originates in the offices
presided over by these less than five
hundred hrst-class postmasters. In 9TH
er words, in 1912 two dollars out Of every
three that was collected by the postal
service was collected in 457 frst-class
post offices. while the other dollar of the
three came from the more than $1,000
post cffces Of the other three classes.
The assistant postmasters also have
their national association, and one of
he hot