Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-12-06
ASKS CONGRESS TO BACK
UP ON PERMISSION GIVEN
Postal Employees Mado Bold by Unions
and Strikes Are Threatencd-Surplus
For Year Largest in History Of De-
Partment-Rars Building Graft in
Small Cities Of Nation.

organizations. The law provides that
the employees may organize and be-
come affiliated with other bodies so
long as they do not impose any obliga-
teen 10 ensa.. o. assist in strike
against the government.
Emphasizing the need for unselfish
CO. operation on all sides while the
country is in the world war the post
master general continues:
Notwithstanding. this fact. and at
this critical period in oursnation's his
tory 1t Is resrettabie to state that the
organized postal employees are making
many selfish demands and insisting
that they shall not be required or per-
mttted to work in excess Of the usual
number Of hours: also that their salar-
les he permanently increased. altho
they are justly compensated, receiving
more than three times as much as
those fighting in the trenchc- who must
Of necessity suffer the hardsllips OF
warfare ar1 sacrifice their al! II ncct s.
saIy.
Efforts Of these organizations along
other lines have been severely criti-
cized by men in public life, as they at
tempt to control political as we'll as
legislative matters and openly boast
OF the influence they claim to exert in
the furtherance Of their selfish inter-
ests.
can outside organization has during
the past several years attempted to
| unionize government employees, in
Guiding those In the postal service. and
a large number OF postal employees
are now affiliated with 1t, and others
soon will be, Notwithstanding the fact
that such affiliation IL believed to be
contrary to the act OF Aug. "A. 1912
The adyisabilfty Of permitting govern
ment employees to affiliate with an
outside organization and use the
strike and boycott as last resort t.
enforce its demands Is seriously ques-
| toned by those interested in the pub
lie welfare.
| Strikes Threatened.
Postal employees have become bold
because Of this affiliation and have
within recent years threatened tc
strike, and in one case actually did SO
by rendering their designations and
abandoning the service in body. In
this case they were promptly indicted
and prosecuted IN the federal courts
While strikes in the postal service mas
be averted for the time being, yet they
will inevitably come, and the public
will then be brought face to face with
q most serious situation-one which
will be menace to our government.
IF by combining" the report says
| government employees are enabled to
unduly influence members of congress
and others seeking election to public
office, the situation will naturally arise
il 1t has not already arisen. where
congress will be duly Influenced by
sIch organizations. the appropriations
for the salaries of such employees will
be greatly increased and economic pro-
vision for the conduct of the service
impossible.
The report explains that postal en-
ployes are differently situated from
other workers in that they are not en-
ployed by private concerns but by the
government whose officers are mere
ly executing the will Of the people.
Surplus Shows Increase.
The report shows an audited sur
plus for the year Of $9,s36,211, the larg-
est in the history Of the department
The increase over the preceding year
was $50 per cent while the increase in
cost was AS per cent. The audited
revenues for the year, including money
order and postal savings business
amounted to s329,72s,11e.
Remarkable growth in postal saw
ings is shown. In 1917 there were
674.s27 depositors with a total OF
s131,954696 to their credit. The aver
! age balance for each depositor was
s195.57. This was an increase over
the previous year Of 71,791 in the num-
Der of depositors, $45.934,s11 in the
amount and $500 in the per capita
balance. The large portion of this to-
tai is contributed by industrial centers
In 14s offices in cities where there are
big manufacturing plants "a per cent
of the deposits are held.
The war has resulted in some postal
routes not being covered at times
Men drawn into industries by larger
salaries often have left posts that could
not be filled, the report says, and
recomm that the department be
given more latitude in getting carriers
| when conditions are unusual.
Mr.. Burleson again voiced opposi-
ton to the tube systems, maintaining
| they are inefficient = 1 cost more than
| the service is worth He also reiter-
ated his belief that the government
should control telephone and tele-
graph lines with supervision entrusted
to the postoffice department.
A Sensible Contention.
The postmaster general again strong
ly urges change in the system OF
erecting public buildings for post
office alone unless the rental amounts
to $1,000 and then only when the
gross postal receipts are $4,000 or the
population as much as 5000.
The postmaster general says the new
space system of compromising railways
for transporting mails has been sue
cessful. The report says:
The operation of the space basis is
resulting IN the direct saving of mil
lions of dollars to the government by
reducing the car-mlle service required
Of the railroads, and has released to
the roads a large amount Of car equip
| ment and car space Of trains. The
number of full 60-foot storage cars
alone, which, thru concentration and
better loading Of the mails, has been
released to the railroads for meeting