The producers news., 1929-12-13
POSTMAS'R BROWN
FIGHTS SHORT DAY
FOR P. 0. CLERKS

Washington -FP- Postmaster
General Walter F. Brown, in his
first annual report, urges con-
gress to take away from the car
riers on the $4,000 rural mail
routes In the United States the
advantage in short working hours
That has come to them by the inn
provement of the roads over which
they drive. At the same time he
Ignores the demand made bv the
unions of post office clerks, letter
carriers and railway mail clerks
Tor the "A hour week in place of
the existing 48 hour week.
In view of the great progress
made during the last few wears in
road improvements" says Brown.
and especially the paving quite
generally of arterial highways
there has resulted almost a com.
plete change in rural delivery
from horse drawn vehicles TO mo-
tor cars. Many of the present rural
routes were lai dout for horse
Drawn vehicles, so that under inn
proved road conditions MANY of the
rural letter carriers can now com
plete their days work in from 2 to
D hours. All other postal EMPLOYEES
are required to contribute approxi-
8 hurs of service, and it is
felt that rural carriers should con-
form to this general provision.
Consolidation of Routes
1T is felt an amendment to the
law will obviate the necessity for
separating a large number of com
petent employees from the service
and permit consolation of routes
as tast as vacancies occur bv death |
or resignation or separation for
cause" 'oi
Accordingly. he proposes that
the law be changed to autbnr;ze
MN to require rural carriers and
their substitutes, where the has. |
pay is SI,5OO a year or over, to
perform without compensation adj /
postal duties other than |
the serving of their routes and the
work Incidental thereto" provided .
that their total hours of work ner
day shall not be more than &
But there's trick to this: the
rural carri ermay start to work at
a. m. and get through his route
oy 10. He may then be called M
on by the local postmaster to serve
as a clerk from 6 to 9 in the ev-
e7nlng, thereby making an 8-hour
1ay' but covering a period of 16
hours. ~
VIII Aid Rural Carriers
Inc unions of postoffice clerks.
etter carriers and railway mail
clerks will join the organized rural
carriers in fighting this proposal
~ mowers postmaster-general.
because it is reactionary in prin.
;iple and because it makes more
ll11lcult their struggle for the IA
lour week. Rural carriers have
snort hours, thanks to good roads
and motor vehicles, but thev also
'ender far better service than ever
before. They are able to piece ont
heir postal salaries by raising
gardens, working part-time on
arms or In shops of their own. or
'ther activity. What they have
Won, the other classes of govern
nent workers aspire to. Brown
Gems to assume that he can per
uade Congress that the other
POSTAL employees want the rural
arrlers to lose their favorable
onditions.
Congress, if it undertakes 10
unlsh the rural letter carriers for
ne fact that roads have been i'm
'roved, will probably soon find an
xcuse to back away from the idea
.ural carriers are the most effec-
I've political workers in the United
'tates when their own bread and
utter is at stake. Every member
I Congress faces the 1880 prim-
,rles with some uncertainty, due to
ne defeat of the Old Guard in the
enate- and the general unrest in
ne country. Browns bungle will
e the theme of speeches in the
louise and Senate when the post
fflce appropriation bill is taken
p.