The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-12-05
P.0. CLERKS
PAID TOO
. LIT TIE
John II. Bartlett Says U. s.
s Gives Advantage to Field
Workers. .,.,..,,.
ny In,esnssisasi News Service.

by AntefU0t1Oo0l <eWe brEttte.
RICHMOND, Va, Dec. 5.-The
postal business of the Govern
ment is literally standing on its
head" because of the disparity Of
salaries and wages which now
exist in favor of the field work
ers as against the Department
employees, First Assistant Post
master General John H. Bartlett
declared in an address here to-
day.
Inyerts Business Rule.
Speaking before the conference
convention of postal employees Of
Virginia, Bartlett said the we'll
rule of successful busi-
ness is inverted" in the govern
ment's vast postal establishment.
Every business man." he said,
twill readily concede as funda.
mentally accepted principle Of
large business organization that the
so-called home office Of that busi-
ness, where the directing brains
are located for the entire activity,
should be manned and officered by
the best and most skillful of the
personnel. and 1t may equally well
be assumed as arr axiom that the
highest paid are generally the best.
In other words. referring to our
own postal business, the salaries
and wages of the 100000 employees
should be so scaled that there will
be a line of natural promotion from
the field to the Department. There
should unquestionably be at all
times salary inducement attract
ing the best in the field service to
the Department service.
Clerks Begin at S7s0.
LAS 1t now exists by law this well.
established rule Of successful busi-
ness Is inverted. In the department,
clerks, for instance, are started at
salary as low as $720 a year, while
in our postoffices scattered over this
country under the law they cannot
be employed at less than 81 400 q
year, and that initial salary Is follow
ed up by an automatic statutory
raise of y100 per year, until 1900
is reached"
Men of ordinary ability with fami.
lies to support are now doing clerical
and general work In the department
for $720 year, Bartlett declared.
This low salary. he said. they some.
times receive for several years be.
fore receiving promotion.
Hampered By Living Cost.
''And all this, too, in Washington,
where the cost of living Is double
that In many places in the field where
beginner starts with a II, 400
salary" he continued.
Again, the chief inspector, who
must reside In Washington, receives
5000 less q year than many of his
subordinates in the field. The chief
clerks In the department. who are
acting Assistant Postmasters Gen.
eral in the absence of their chiefs,
receive the small salary Of $2.500 a
year. There are ten postmasters lin
the country who receive $4,000 a
year. and sixty-six postmasters who
receive $4,000 year, and five post
masters who receive $1,000 a year"
Other field officers receive the
same relative consideration as com.
pared with the department. Bartlett
added.
=, Talks Of Railway Mail.
The convention also was address.
ed by Second Assistant Postmaster
General Paul Henderson, who out.
lined the operations Of the railway
mail service and painted q graphic
word picture OF the stupendous oper.
atoms and cost az this bervica.