Evening star., 1943-12-19
5000 Students Hold
Christmas Jobs in
Post Office, Stores

Post UttIce, Stores
More than 5000 District high
school students. Is to 18 years old,
are making history in a history
making Capital.
Pressed into the Christmas holi-
day breach to relieve an acute man
power shortage, boys and girls al
ready have won the commentator
OF their employees.
without them we would have
been sunk; they are the only res
ervoir of labor available in sufficient
numbers to do the work." Post
master Vincent c. Burke said yes
terday. He is working approxi-
mately 5000 Of them. One of Mr..
Burke's assistants estimated l.
100000 more letters can be handled
q day because of the students.
To these notes of praise was added
that Of a personnel executive of
a large department store employ
ing TOO high school pupils to help
take care of pre-holiday shoppers.
I'VE are very pleased with the
results" he remarked. They come
in with great enthusiasm, they play
a little in idle moments, such as is
to be expected of young people, but
when they are busy, they are all
business" More significantly, he
added, They are setting a pace
for our older, permanent employees"
Have Dual Motive.
Interviews with these youthful mail
sorters, Jumpers delivering parcel
post packages and statesmen and
saleswomen at store counters in
dicate they are guided by two i'm
pelling reasons: First, to make some |
money for themselves with which to
buy clothes and Christmas gifts;
secondly. to do their patriotic bit
where the nondelivery of a Christ
mas letter or gift may sadden the
hearts of servicemen and parents.
Since the City Postoffice is hiring
the bulk of these youthful workers,
it may be fitting to tell that story
first. Here are salient facts.
They are restricted to maximum
OF 48 hours a week, not more than !
hours in any single day nor more
than six days in any week. Girls 16
years old may not work after pm
Boys may work until 10 pm. The
rate of pay is rs cents an hour.
Postmaster Burke estimates these
high school youngsters will earn ap-
proximately SITS, 900 during the holi-
day season.
About 1,500 reported for work at
the City Postof1ce yesterday between
8 and 10 am, on staggered shifts.
Their presence was felt in more ways
than one by the 2,180 regular clerks
on duty. Youth was definitely in the
saddle. One gaZed along row upon
row to find only teen-age girls at
work.
Girls Are Segregated.
Every protective measure is thrown
around the girls, Postmaster Burke
pointed out. The girls are segre-
gated under direct supervision of
experienced postal mail clerks. Their
only contact with boys is when the
latter push loaded trucks into the
sorting room.
Boys, too, are distributing mail,
but in section to themselves. Boys
also run cancellation machines, load
trucks and serve as delivery agents
on parcel post trucks.
To augment the package delivery
service, the Post office secured 210
Army trucks to reinforce the Post
Offices IS vehicles. The Army trucks
are hauling parcel post goods to dis &
tribution points for transportation
to points outside of Washington.
City Post Office anticipated the
Christmas season situation several /
age and began to shape
plans for overcoming the manpower
shortage. High school students, Il,
Postmaster Burke said, offered the
principal source of relief.
Held Examinations.
Beginning November S, the City {
Post Office began employing selected
students for two hours work at night,
three nights week With this group
as nucleus, authorities held exam
nations for high school applicants,
with the result that those revealing
the most desirable aptitudes secured
Jobs.
In peacetime the City Postoffice
employed college students general
ly to handle the preholiday tempo
rary jobs. But the vacations of COL
lege youths, those not in uniform,
have been shortened incident to the
wartime acceleration of educational
processes.
A large downtown department s
store employing 700 students is
utilizing the teen-age group in diff {
ferent capacities. Boys are working
as truck helpers, stock keepers, and
bundle collectors. Girls are selling
merchandise over the counter. {
Other girls, not seen by the public, l
are working in Offices, in stock
rooms and in wrapping rooms. Some
SIS girls, a personnel executive said,
are saleswomen.
Other students are selling Christ
mas trees, some are working in bar
Der shops, still others are doing
various holiday season jobs to tide
overcrowded Washington over its
greatest manpower shortage. {