The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-29
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES


TT is an old adage that charity begins at home.
l. This is equally true of justice and fairness.
Perhaps the most amazing shortening in the
Roosevelt administration has been the discrep-
ancy between it's broad general policy as to labor
and purchasing power and its own treatment of
federal employees, especially those in the service
of the postoffice department.
Mr.. Roosevelt has urged private employers to
take on more men and to pay them higher
wages. At the same time, in the postal service
of the country there have been extensive layoffs,
furloughs without pay and other measures which
are held to have deprived poStoffice employees of
over hundred million dollars in wages since
March, 1888.
Entirely aside from any matter of justice or
injustice consistency or inconsistency this
means very considerable reduction in purchas-
ing power at time when the new deal is threat
ened at its very foundations by inadequate mass
purchasing power in the country.
Postal employees as a whole are hard work.
ing group who received none too high remunera-
ton before any economy cut, but the most Sorely
oppressed are some 1000 substitutes whose eco
nomic condition is almost incredible. This stu
alton is very we'll described in a recent article
by julius r. Young in Common Sense.
THESE postal substitutes are civil service men
l. who have fully qualified for regular work in
the department. Their qualifications are the
same those required of regulars. The differ
ence is that the latter receive relatively steady
work on a yearly basis whereas the substitutes
work irregularly, are subject to call at any time
and are paid only for the time when they
actually on duty at far lower rate than the
regulars for whom they are supplying.
There are three major groups of postal sub
Stitutes: Clerks, carriers and drivers. In addi-
ton, there is another class of unSklled laborers.
The economic and professional conditions
which substitutes have to face are aggravating
and oppressive. In order to get from one to four
hours work day, they must be on duty and
ready for call from twelve to fourteen hours
day, that is from a. m. to about p m. In
deed, a substitute may spend the entire day
waiting around with no work at all forthcoming.
The fixed rate for substitutes is IS cents per
hour, which would not be SO bad if sufficient
work were provided. Taking the substitutes in
the country as a whole they average between
$3.50 and $500 year. or some 81 a week An in
vestigation has revealed that, in addition to
themselves, these substitutes support on the
average % dependents per man. No very high
standard of living or purchasing power can be
maintained by family of three on ST week.
Even this low pay was cut IS per cent in the
economy bill.
TINE demands of these substitutes are certain
Il ly very reasonable, namely Il. Filling of the
10000 vacancies in the ranks of the regulars.
O. Repeal of the Is per cent cut. 3. thirty
hour week for regulars with reduction in
pay. 4. A minimum of $1,000 year for substi-
tutes. 5. Appointment to regular positions with
in two years substitution"
Little or nothing has been done thus far to
grant these reasonable demands. The President
vetoed the relief bill. Mr. Farley's economy order
furloughing regulars is still in effect, in spite
OF public statement that it was to be rescinded.
Indeed, in Chicago 900 starving substitutes were
recently laid off. All of them we're civil service
men and some have waited as long as ten years
for a regular appointment.
We may hope that the government will
change its attitude and do as much for it's own
employees as it urges employers to do for theirs
There should be no postal strike in the United
States, The memorable French postal strike in
1909 should teach us to avoid any such crisis
The moral of the administration before private
American employers will be far stronger if it
first sets a good example on its own premises.