The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-03-28
THE GENERAL POLICY OE THE PRESENT AEDvIENIS STIR RATION OF THE POSTAL SERVICE An Address by HON ROOMS
 


 portatou service today that has no embargoes. Instead of a deficit of many millions there is a surplus in postal revenues. The great growth Of this service cannot be better illus rated than by the fact that in New York City alone last winter we handled daily an average of more than ten million parcels which was more than the entire number handled in the service one year previous.
 GOvern0ICDt- Owned Vehicle Service.
 The performance of vehicle service necessary for the transportation of the mails in the cities under the con tract system had many drawbacks. The Eovernme ent-owned service is much more elastic. satisfactory, and efficient than the old contract service could possibly be.
 Progressive Steps.
 Post offices have been reOrganized which originally constituted a post of- fee have been merged into two. one of finance and one of mails. A sys- ! tenn of checking accounts has been installed which, if carried out in ac- cordance with instructions makes de- falcattous practically impossible. Leg i islatiun Has been secured which ' C injured in the line of duty. for the granting of compensatory time for holiday service to Ia5orers. watch men. special clerks, etc. The anti quated method of paying railroads for carrying the malls by what was known as the weight basis has been discontinued Under the new space | system the railroads are now paid for l the service they actually render-uo more or no less. The use of tags on 1 insured parcels has been discontinued. | The use of the aeroplane in the trans portatiOn of the mails has been un- | dertaken and a. regular line of aero | plane mail service esta blished be- ! tween Washington and New York i city. It was claimed by manythat sucn i service was irupracticabIe that the | aeroplane had not yet reached such ! a stage of development as to use it i advantageously in the transportation 1 of mails. The record. however. shows i that during the month Of June SS i per cent Of the trips between Wash 1 inEton and New York were perfect and on scheduled time A large number have been reappointed in ac- 1 cordance with this announced policy 1 and today the question of your re- i appointment at the expiration Of your i terms rests solely with you. II you 1 have not rendered efficient service ! your reappointment will be fnpossf- i ble. Not only is this true but on i March 31, 1917, the President issued i an executive order requiring that l hereafter when vacancies occur at 1 post offices of the first. second or third l class, an examination will be held by the Civil Service Commission and the result thereof certified to the Post naster-Genera1 and the name of the ] highest eligible selected for appoint ' ment, unless disqualified by characte 1 or residence. The original appoint { ment of pOstrnasters is now beine ] made in accordance with this execu- l tive order, making it possible to ap- ! point in each instance the best quail
 fed applicant,
 Salaries of Postal Employees.
 Much has been said during the past year of the salaries of postal enl- ployes. The policy of the depart ment in this respect was cri=f cized tr some extent. This was evidently done
 without knowledge of what the true policy of the department really is l The Postmaster General insisted
 while in Congress and since he has l been Postmaster General that gov.
 ernment employees should be justly | compensated, and that the govern.
 ment should be a model employer. His
 policy with resp ect to salaries is fulIy
 outlined in the annual report for tho
 fiscal year 1916 from which the fol.
 lowing quotation is taken:
 Tt has been the earnest effort o-
 the department to fix the standard
 rates of pay for the different classa!
 of work at from 15 per cent. to 3t
 pere cent. above the average rate,
 paid for similar service by the lead
 ing commercial institutions of tn,
 country The same rule has beer
 followed throughout the postal ser
 vice In fixing salaries that are no
 fixed by law. Whenever an e1nployt
 or a group of employees is found tt
 be receiving salaries below tne stand
 ard the department will make an eff fort tc secure appropriate increases. Under the provisions of the posta
 appropriation bill as finally enacte
 increased compensation of S2OC ha
 been provided during the next fsca
 year for assistant postmasters, super Visory officials, clerks and city Iette carriers at first and second class of fees receiving salaries of S22OO o less per annum. Those receiving il , excess of s2,2C0 per annum will re ceive an increase of per cent Per centagc increases nave also been pro } vided for laborers, watchnen, mes 3 sengers and other persons paid annua salaries from lump sum appropria 2 tions. Increases have also been pro l vided for railway postal clerks, rura 3 letter carriers, and other employees O F the service
 V The Postal Surplus
 l Much has been said about the sur : plus in postal receipts over the ex 9 penditures during the past severe 9 years. The cost of the postal servic = is borne by the public and it shoul . not be conducted for profit. To s e 1 conduct it makes iy an indirect forr y of taxation. While 1t should be sel1 = sustaining there should not be 1. large surplus. When it was recogniz = ed eatly il the fiscal year 1917, prio t to the declaration of war, that the1 o would be 8 surplus of from eight { S nine million dollars it was the wish q the POsJnasse Genera1 that the pull n lie be given the benefit of the econc e mics effected He, therefore, not onl