Omaha daily bee., 1917-03-09
LOUD PLANTS ON
THE MAIL SERVICE
Mail Clerks and Business Men
Protesting On Economies
Started by Burleson.
GREAT DELAY IS RESULT

Vigorous complaints are being
made, both by railway mail clerks
and by business houses using the
mails, as the result of the democratic
administrations adoption and threat
encd adoption OF economies" and
improvements in the Postoffice de-
partment.
Loud plants have frequently been
made regarding the long standing and
proverbial delays in mail service,
which seem to get worse every time
Postmaster General Burleson in
agurates new improvement" On
top of this comes the latest protests,
all the way from Council Bluffs to
the Pacific coast, to the effect that
method adopted March | for the
sorting of mail in terminals Instead
Of railway mail cars is greatly de-
laying mail of practically all classes,
especially newspapers and circulars
and other business mail.
More Improvements"
Almost at the same time, "Old P.
NJ. g." as Boss Burleson is known
among the rank and file of his sub
ordinates, has ordered revolutionary
changes in railway mail runs and
schedules as another improvement"
Locally, this means that almost two
score of clerks and their families liv-
ing here will have to move away from
Omaha, or else accept reduced pay
or quit the service.
No increased efficiency will follow
the order, in this part OF the coun-
try at least, according to admissions
by Superintendent F. D. Johnston Of
the railway mail service. 1t is just
part of the nationwide plan to I'M
prove the service generally" and to
put the postal service on strict
business basis"
While railway mail clerks here are
gagged and muzzled by orders from
Washington, they are not entirely ST.
lent in the face Of the new orders. Al
though they are afraid to be quoted
for fear of being disciplined" they
nevertheless are voicing their pro-
tests on the quiet.
Some of the clerks are preparing
to quit the service, it is said, rather
than accept an undesirable transfer
or salary cut and sell their Omaha
homes at a sacrifice to meet the sud-
den order.
incidentally, they are telling some
startling tales about outrageous de-
lays of mail, resulting from the "im-
proveds business administration"
which is said to be due to Burleson's
desperate desire to make his depart
ment show surplus at any cost.
One Of the railway mail clerks liv-
ing here made the following state
ment under assurance that his name
would not be divulged:
What seems to be the matter with the
mail? This is common question these
days;
1t was the idea of the postmaster general
to take the mail off the road and then
take the men off to work It, 1t was his in
tention to reduce each clerk to $1,000 and
thereby save about $500 per year on each
clerk reduced. A few days ago we no.
ticed a statement by our superintendent of
the Fourteenth division that the mails were
not delayed. l am here to say that the
mails are delayed and we have record Of
daily papers ten days old when passing
this point. Congress has finally passed a
bill which Mr.. Burleson cannot reduce sala-
ries as he previously had undertaken to do.
Now he has another scheme whereby he
thinks he can force some clerks in be-
fore the law becomes effective. He has
divided our line into three divisions in
stead of two. This, of course, will cause
thirty or forty families to move to North
Platte or Ogden, Utah. A ma jority of the
ri rku cit har tha{r
ing them by payments, but they must either
move or take reduction of $500 per year
or quit.
l have always supposed the mail business
was the peoples business
Not so. 1t Is nobody's but Mr.. Burle-
sons. We are forbidden to give out any
Information. Mr.. Business Man, how would
you like to have business and be for
hidden to know anything about your own
business.
few years ago the mail service was
something to be proud of, but since then
our southern slave-driver has gone into the
business for gain and not efficiency.
Where is the business man that would not
rather pay sufficient postage and have his
mail delivered promptly?
What is the use to get out circular price
lists and pay for printing, etc., and then
when 1t is delivered 1t Is absolutely value
less.
Here is the way circulars are worked.
First someone takes a state to work and
for a period of about three days works them
out alphabetically and then bales them up
and the AS are put In one sack, Bs In an
other, Cs In another sack, etc. Then after
he has worked at this three or four days
he is ready to begin making up direct
packages for the different towns. After
this mail has been paved over four times
1t Is allowed to pass on after from one to
Two weeks delay.
The quantity of Oregon circular mail that
5 delayed is not estimated by the package
nor by the sack. but actually by the truck
load.
We have men that would be glad to tell
what they know about the delay Of mails
( they had any protection.
What want to know is how long is the
lountry going to stand for such bum mail
ervice?
Calling for Help.
West of Omaha the complaint by
both railway mail clerks and business
houses is even more vigorous. At
Cheyenne, Portland and other cities
he postal employees and the people
re up in arms over tine economical
usiness administration" the demo-
:. ats are adopting to show a surplus
It any cost.
congressman and senators are be-
Ing wired to save the situation, while
commercial clubs and similar organi-
cations are getting busy at last, now
hat they fully realize the nationwide
consequences to follow the present
administration of the mail service.
The Omaha Commercial club has
taken up the matter with Senator
Hitchcock and Congressman Lobeck.
Twenty Days in Jail