Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-24
idle MAY SHARE $6,272,OOO
SET ASIDE FOR. YULE MAIL JOBS
Pest Office Dept. Takes Up
Plan to Give 10000 Tenn
porary Work.
Mooney viii Exclude All But
Needy and Civil Service
EligibIes.

A plan whereby only those without
| jobs will be allowed the opportunity to
share in the $6,272,000 set aside for
the employment of extra help for the
| handling of the Christmas mail
throughout the country was under con-
sideration at the Post Office Depart
ment today following the announce
ment of Postmaster William M. Mooney
here that only the needy joble5s would
get Christmas jobs at the local post
Office after the eligibles under the Civil
Service have been taken care of.
Post Office Department officials today
/ estimated that If the Washington post
masters plan is adopted, the Christmas
holiday mail rush will provide tenn
porary employment for more than 210,-
600 of the country's great army of the
jobless.
The $6,272, 900 has been set aside. for
the employment of temporary clerks
carriers and laborers, to carry the post
offices of the country over their annual
Christmas peak load"
First Come Basis Used.
Heretofore the temporary positions
have been given on first come, first
served" basis, after those eligible but
jcblesS under the Civil Service rules had
been given their opportunity to accept
or reject the temporary employment.
The jobs, distributed throughout the
entire country, are expected to provide
a welcome Stcp-gap for those who get
them, at the tlme when they will need
work and money most.
Postmaster Mooney this morning an
nounced that every effort will be made
at the local Post Office to see that the
job,es5 Washingtonian gets his oppor-
unity TO work temporarily at the Post
Office during the holiday rush.
There will be places for about 1900
temporary employees in the local post
Office during the rush period, the post
master estimates, on the basis of last
years holiday business. There are
about 1900 clerks and carriers on
what is known as the Civil Service ELI
OF persons seeking positions with the
post office who have become eligible by
examination. The majority of these
applicants, however. already are work.
ing, many of them in other Govern
ment departments, and cannot take
advantage of the temporary jobs at the
post Office. An average of about 20 per
cent of these eligibleS, Mr.. Mooney esti-
mates, are without jobs and take the
temporary work. This offering of work
to the Civil Service eligibles is manda-
tory, Mr.. Mooney says, DuC Will not cut
out any who are already unemployed,
for those who are now employed will
not leave a regular position for tempo
rary work over the Christmas holidays.
Hundreds of Students Apply.
Mr. Mooney today said he particu-
larry wants to stress the point that the
needy deserve the opportunity to earn
the Christmas money upon the parents
of high school and college youths, who
heretofore have gotten the bulk of the
temporary jobs at the post Office. There
are now in the post Office here hum
dreds of applications from college
youths and school boys for Christmas
work
The times are SUCH" said Mr..
Mooney, that where a family Is able
to send a boy to school or college, the
boy should withdraw from competition
with those who actually need jobs to
pay for their food and shelter. The un-
employment situation is serious, and
there is every reason why those who
can get along without the work should
stand aside while those who need the
work badly do it."
Last year the city post office paid
out about $4,000 to 1900 temporary
employees, and plans are being laid this
year to pay out at least that much to
tn temporary workers. Last year the
average total wage to temporary work.
ers, at IS cents an hour during the