The Washington herald., 1917-12-10
Postal Service Hardships.

The members of Congress who have been approach
ed on the subject of increased salaries for government
employees have evineed desire to remedy the horrible
conditions that exist, in fact of them instead of
standing pat on the and 10 per cent increases have
shown a willingness to make the increases larger.
Conditions under which the employees of the gov
ernment work we're brought to the attention of Con-
gress last year by The Herald. This paper carried
stories in detail of the suffering existing among the
poorer paid classes of government labor They showed
that the employees not only poorly housed but in
their food insufficient for their noursh
ment and their wearing apparel for their protection
against the elements.
While these conditions are general there is one
branch of the where the bad features
prevalent 1t is in the PostoAce Department This Is
perhaps The hardest worked and poorest paid branch of
government yet when the workers of this depart
seek by organization, to better their conditions
they are condemned in uncertain language by the
Postmaster General himself.
In his latest report Postmaster General Burleson
states, "They (the organzatons) fast becoming
menace to public welfare and should be longer tole
rated or condoned. -. They are not working for
private employers, but for the government whose Of
cers are merely executing the will of the people"
Yet when the spokesmen of the people, the men,
bers of Congress- have at various times in the past
sought to better the conditions of the employees of the
Postofice Department they have been met by decided
opposition of the heads of that department
At the very outset, men taken into the service
under Misrepresentation. The Civil Service Commits
sion announces an examination for postofice clerks
Those who qualify and accepted into the service
find that instead of being clerks they ofttmes labor
ers. In many instances they required to work out
doors lifting heavy sacks for eight hours day. In
fact anecdote frequently told among the clerks ()
relates the story of who appointed a clerk
and who innocenty asked when he reported for duty
Where is my desk?" He found that hi, desk was
the floor of the mailing division over which he must
drag mail sacks.
In the Washington City postoffice, Postmaster Mer
rift o. Chance has done all in his power to improve
conditions for the postal employees At all times he has
shown a willingness to work with the under him.
He has allowed them the basement of the build
ing for clubhouse and has acted president of their
club. He does all in his power to give them many
perquisities the service will permit but his humane
hampered by the rulings of the head of the de-
partment
That the work of those in the postal service is ex-
tremely laborous may be CLEANED from the fact that
several weeks ago an experiment tried. 1t con-
sisted of the tryout of letter carriers
After few days service, however the experiment
abandoned because it found that women were not
physically able to cope with the job
Congressional investigation of the labor eond-
tons in the postal service would bring to light many
interesting conditions.