Evening star., 1914-10-06
First Assistant Postmaster
General Declares Public
Will Never Support Plan.
THINKS EFFICIENCY SHOULD
GOVERN CLERKS SALARIES
Marketing by Parcel Post Discussed
by Convention of Postmasters
Of Nearby States.

Declaring that the American public
will never support civil pensions and
that superannuated employees should
not be kept in the postal service, First
Assistant Postmaster General Daniel C.
Roper today voiced the belief that post
masters should post notices informing
their employees that they will be re-
tanned "only SO long as they are capa-
BILE Of earning the salaries paid them
and that salaries will be scaled and
readjusted to meet the declining eff
cheney and earning power of the older
clerks and carriers" Mr.. Roper's ciews
were expressed at the convention Of
postmasters of Virginia. Maryland,
North and South Carolina and Della
ware in the auditorium of the New
National Museum.
He intimated that he had no SYM
pathy for postmasters who kept In en-
ployment the old clerks, for humani-
tartan reasons. He declared his course
would promote thrift and induce all to
provide against old age: 1T will in
reduce its cost. It is based on justice
and fairness to all and on the only pos
sible Interpretation Of existing law"
Speaking further Of the superannuated
Law Provides No Pensions.
I'VE did not create this distressing
situation" he said, but we must deal
with it. There is no valid reason why
positions in the postal service should be
retained by those unable to all them.
The function Of the Post Once Depart
ment is administrative. not legislative.
The law does not provide for pensions,
and neither does 1t provide for per-
manence of tenure in the civil service.
that Incompetent employees shall be re-
moved; and that means all those who on
account OF advanced years or other
causes are not rendering an adequate
'quid pro quo for their salaries.
THE law does not provide that length
Of service shall establish any claim on
the part Of the employe or any obliga-
tion on the part of the government that
is not effaced by the payment Of the
to be changed. Congress only can do it,
and let us be perfectly frank and say
that 1t Is not probable that the people
OF this country will ever indorse a sys-
tenn of civil pensions"
Discuss the Parcel Post.
Ways and means for profitable mar
ketfng by the parcel post, together
be guarded against to make this
method of supplying household wants
profitable, were explained by speakers
ing of the convention of postmasters
In the auditorium OF the new National
Museum.
John H. Sherman. superintendent of
weights. measures and markets of the
District. caused a stir at the conven-
tion when he declared that the middle
men were fighting the parcel post and
there was feeling among them that
they were taking their business. He
asserted 1t was not true that the mid
clemens business had fallen of since
the establishment of the parcel post.
After the meeting Postmaster Otto
Praeger gave out a statement on the
speech Of Superintendent Sherman, de-
transportation medium, ready to serve
the middleman, the producer and the
farmer altogether.
Declares Middlemen Honest.
Mr.. Sherman proceeded to boost the
middlemen at every angle. The mid
dleman had improved his business ma
terially and the parcel post will in
crease the business Of the middlemen.
Following recent attacks on the mid
demen, continued Mr.. Sherman. I'VE
Investigated and found the middlemen
exceedingly honest. We found more
scales cheating the dealer than the
public. The commission men are hon
est and struggling hard to keep their
heads above the water.
Suppose you had pure socialism,
where every man was getting Just
what he was worth, I feel sure then
that the middlemen would get more
than he Is getting now"
Mr.. Sherman blamea the higher
profits on waste caused by 80 many
landings.
He told the postmasters that it was
up to them to protect the public in
parcel post shipments. The interstate
commerce law. he pointed out, required
that the net weight be stamped on each
package accepted. "If the shipper does
not place 1t on the container in a con-
postmaster fails to see that 1t Is not
on, then both are liable under the act"
Other speakers at the morning ses-
sion were Postmaster Otto Praeger of
this city. John C. Rooms, superintend-
ent, division Of salaries and allow
ances. Post Office Department and
Charles ]. Brand. Department of Agri-
culture.
Parcel Post "a Growing JOY"
Il have spoken of the parcel post as
constantly growing JOY and sorrow"
said Mr.. Praeger. IT want to modify
that. I want to say that day after day.
as the delays grow fewer. and day
after day as the breakages grow less
and they have decreased at an astound-
ing rate here in the last four months
the ma reel Dosf Of los Of WaShin RtOn