Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-03-25

Washington, March 25.-When a de-
partmental employee recently told a
house appropriation committee that
the postoffice department maintains
the biggest payroll on earth, some of
the members of the committee looked
surprised. The employee then went on
to tell about the 100000 postoffice en-
ployes who draw their regular pay
checks from Uncle Sam, the total pay
roll amounting to something like $780,
100000 a year.
l went through the postoffice de-
partment trying to find the paymaster
who takes care of this vast roll. I
had a visionary idea of blank checks
spread out in great sheets, while the
paymaster signed them perhaps sew
eral hundred at time by means of
the telautograph instrument used in
certain other government offices where
many checks have to be signed
But the biggest payroll on earth is
not paid off in this fashion. Instead
of single paymaster there are SILL
paymasters, that being the number of
postmasters holding commissions on
March 8. 1916. Each postmaster is
practically an independent business
man, meeting the expenses Of his own
office out of its receipts and returning
the profits. if any, to the department
together with his accounts for audit,
ing.
1t is in the auditing here that Wash
ington here handles the gigantic post
Office payroll, but it is the treasury de-
partment which handles it. Three
whole floors and part OF fourth in
the 10-story postoffice department
building are given over to the audi
tors who are direct employees of the
treasury department. The postoffice
department has about 1900 employees
in Washington, but it takes $50 treas
ury employees to audit the books OF
| the pOstoffice department.
East POSTMASTER Is virtually his S.y2
own office, except that he can employ
only authorized help and that he must
| submit his accounts for auditing every
month. The postmaster pays his office
clerks and mail clerks and mail car
riers Thus in several of the largest
cities the postoffice payroll ranks with
| those of the largest local industries
There are 1892 office clerks and mail
clerks in our postoffices, all being paid
+ by their local postmasters. In addi-
ton there are $4,000 city carriers
making the total postofice payroll for
the local mail delivery number about
$4,000 names.
Then there is another large branch
of the service-the railway mail SER
vice The railway mail clerks, too
are paid by postmasters. For the rail
way mail service the country is divided
! into districts, and the clerks are as
: signed to certain large postoftices in
each district for their pay. There are
10000 railway mail clerks.
The largest division of postoffice
employees is made up of the rural mail
/ carriers, $4,000 of them, or third
more rural carriers than city carriers
/ Their pay checks, too, come from post
masters, but not from their local post
masters In each state one city is des-
ignated as the paying station for the
rural carriers To this office all the
other postoffices OF the state send thell
excess receipts, and from these funds
the postmaster In the designated city
pays all the rural carriers OF the state
with his official checks. The New
York postmaster pays all the rura
letter carriers in New York state
Philadelphia for Pennsylvania; Cincin
natl for Ohio; Chicago for Illinois
Milwaukee for Wisconsin, and so on.
Thus a large share Of the postotfict
receipts never reach Washington bu
are paid out locally in salaries to The
postoffice employees. The princlpa
work here is auditing the payroll. Fol
this purpose the auditors maintain
card index system, with card for eacl
of the 100000 employees, giving his
name date of appointment and rate o.
pay. Each month the total payroll Is
checked over name by name, and ey'
cry three months the auditors strike
! the balance sheet.
The postoffice has ne topheayy sal
aries, nor any very small ones. Per
haps no business institution on eartf
has its payroll so evenly balanced II
| this respect. Exclusive of watchmer
and scrub women, the smallest salary
paid is $500 a year. The postmaster
general draws the largest salary
! $4,000. II the postoffice were prl'
waite corporation its president would
easily draw $4,000 a year. while his
assistants and divisional managers
would get salaries ranging from sl0,-
! 900 to $4,000 On the other hand, the
clerks in this private institution would
probably not average $500 a year, lei
/ alma having as the minimum salary.