The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-27
Forum Of The People
Prosperity and Postal Employees.
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:


 When a community, or a nation, becomes prosperous, it is very easy to forget that there may exist individuals, or whole groups of in dividuals, who are actually made to suffer hardships because of the prosperity that the masses of the people enjoy. This statement may seem as unreasonable to most persons as they would consider it an unjust state of af- fairs, but such is, nevertheless a true repre- sentation of the condition of the postal en- ployes of this government when considered in their relation to the various other groups of employers engaged in other lines of en- deavor.
 The United States is now recognized as one of the richest governments in the world, and we are enjoying one of the healthiest periods of business expansion and general prosperity that the country has ever experienced Along with the general increase in business and transportation, there has naturally followed heavy increase in the volume of mails. The figures given out by the department from month to month have indicated steady in crease in the receipts of practically all of the principal offices throughout the country. Yet with all of the prosperous conditions and high records made in various lines of busi- ness, it has had but one meaning to the pos tai employees, more work and a correspond ingy smaller salary. This is because price levels have scared while the salaries of pos tai employees had Jagged far behind Due, also, to an exaggerated idea of economy that seems to have dominated the policies of the post office department, to the detriment of efficient service, there are now actually less employees in certain important branches of the mail service than there were ten years ago. Because of this condition, the volume of work that must necessarily be performed has been materially increased per man.
 The question that confronts the people of this country-the patrons of the postal serv- iee-Is matter of simple justice. Are the people of this country willing to double the volume of work of their postal employees and then pay them less salary, ill purchasing value, than they were paid in 1913? This is exactly what is now being done, for general price levels are now about 704 per cent higher than in 1914, while the salaries of the postal employees have only been increased about 35 per cent during the same period. Certainly the people of this proud nation are not will ing that a condition of this kind should go longer without being corrected.
 Just before the adjournment of the first session of the sixty eighth congress, last June a bill, providing reasonable adjustments in the salaries of the postal workers, was passed by both houses of congress by an almost unanimous vote, there were only nine dissent
 
 port of the United States Chamber of Com merce, practically all of the leading newspa- pers of the nation, business organizations, clubs and churches, and its passage by such a record vote was in response to the will of the people. The legislation was vetoed by the president, and it now remains as un- finished business from the first session, and will have to be acted upon when congress meets again next week. It is generally con ceded that the presidents veto was the re- suit of transformation, and it is hoped that the bill will be passed over the veto. Sena- tor Oscar Underwood has said that there was nothing in the presidents veto message that was sufficient to cause him to change his mind as to the merits of this legislation, and many other leading statesmen agree with Senator Underwood.
 Whether Christmas will mean a season of happiness and joy, or a season of debts un- paid, deprivations and regrets for the postal workers of America all depends upon the action that congress takes next week on the postal salary bill. If your pOstman comes around on Christmas morning with his elbows out and patches on his pants, you may well surmise that nobody cared.'
 F. r. LANCASTER.