The Civil Servants’ Campaign of Education
The feeling in question the Postmaster General attributed largely to the manner in which the case of the telegraphists had been presented by the telegraphists in the House of Commons, and in the newspaper press. He spoke of the “extraordinarily misleading” table of promotions published by the telegraphists. He then went on to state that recently the Postmaster at Bristol had reorganized the local telegraph office. By reducing the amount of over-time work, and by abolishing four junior offices, he had effected a saving of $3,000 to $3,500 a year. Thereupon a local newspaper had come out with the heading: “A Premium on Sweating;” and had made the statement, which was not true, that the local Postmaster had received a premium of $500 for effecting a saving of $3,800 at the expense of the staff.[165] Mr. Morley continued with the statement that in June, 1894, a deputation from the London Trades Council had complained to the Postmaster General that skilled electric light men were often employed by the Post Office at laborer’s wages at its factory at Holloway, citing the case of one Turner. Upon inquiry the Postmaster General had learned that Turner had been employed as a wireman, had been “discharged from slackness of work,” and, upon his own request in writing, had been taken back “out of kindness” as a laborer. The same deputation had mentioned the case of one Harrison, alleged to be earning on piece work, at the Holloway Factory, $1.75, $2.25, and $3.75 a week. On inquiry the Postmaster had ascertained that Harrison was able to earn $10 a week and more, but that “for the purpose of agitation, he had deliberately lowered the amount of his wages by abstaining from doing full work.” After the Postmaster General had informed the London Trades Council of the facts of the case, that body had passed resolutions denouncing the postal authorities at the Holloway Factories. Again, Mr. Churchfield, Secretary of the Postmen’s Federation, in an interview with the representative of a London newspaper had stated that the shortest time worked by the men on split duties was 12¾ hours, while the longest was 22 hours [in the course of one day and night]. A duty of seven hours lasting from 8 p. m. to 10 p. m., and from 12 p. m. to 5 a. m., Mr. Churchfield had called a continuous duty of twenty-two hours, lasting from 12 p. m. to 10 p. m. The public also was “grossly misled” as to the condition of the auxiliary postmen. For example, one Mears was alleged to earn, after 27 years’ service, only $3 a week. Inquiry showed that Mears worked in a warehouse during the day, and received from the Post Office $3 a week for duties performed between the hours of 6 p. m. and 10 p. m. Other cases had been reported, but in not one instance had the figures been correct. One man in receipt of $3.94 a week, had been put down at $2.62. The London auxiliary postmen received from 12 cents to 18 cents an hour; they were mainly small tradesmen, shop assistants, and private watchmen. In the country, the auxiliary postmen received from 8 cents to 10 cents an hour.
The Postmaster General continued with the statement that the increases in wages and the concessions granted by Mr. Fawcett and Mr. Raikes had augmented the combined expenditures of the postal branch and telegraph branch by $3,750,000 a year.[166] “In 1881, the wages formed 48.7 per cent. of the gross expenditure, whereas now they formed 59.9 per cent…. He did not think that he need add to those figures, except to say that in addition to salaries there were a large number of allowances for special duties. In the circulation office in London were 4,000 sorters, of whom 250 had each an allowance of $2.50 a week, while a very large number had allowances of $1.25, $0.75 and $0.50, of which never a word was said when complaints were made about salaries.” The demands made by the telegraphists would increase the State’s expenditures by $3,250,000 a year, “taking into account the consequential advances which other classes in the Public Service, treated on the same footing, would naturally receive.” Similarly, the letter sorters made an application involving a direct increase of $635,000, and an indirect increase of another $2,500,000.
Mr. Morley next recited some statistics to show, “first of all, the desire among people outside to come into the Post Office Service, and secondly, the disinclination of those inside to go out.” The Post Office recently had called for 650 male letter sorters, and had received 1,506 applications. A call for 188 “telegraph learners,” had brought out 2,486 candidates. In London, in 1894, there had been no resignations among 1,261 first class sorters, and 23 resignations among 2,958 second class sorters. Out of 5,000 London postmen, 19 had resigned in 1894; and in the 5 years ending with 1894, a total of 5,700 telegraphists had furnished 348 resignations, including the resignations of women who left the service in order to marry.[167] “He could not help thinking that when the working men got to know to the full extent the terms and prospects of Postal Service, the sympathy which they had so freely bestowed on Post Office employees would be largely withdrawn.”
The Government compromises with the Civil Servants
Mr. Morley, Postmaster General, summed up with the statement that “he should be the last to deny that change and amelioration might be required in certain respects, but, having examined all the cases, he believed the men of the Postal Service, the Telegraph Staff as well as the Postal Staff, were better treated than people from the same class in private employment. But that opinion was not altogether shared by the public, or by certain Members of the House of Commons, and therefore the Government was prepared to appoint a strong Committee, composed of men who would have special and practical knowledge and experience of administration, and who would, he hoped, be assisted by a Member of the Labor Department of the Board of Trade…. There must be upon the Committee one official of the Post Office in order to assist the Committee, but apart from that one appointment, he proposed that the Committee should be appointed from executive officers of the Government not connected with the Post Office.”
Sir James Fergusson, who had preceded Mr. Morley as Postmaster General, said: “He could not shut his eyes to the fact that there was no difficulty whatever in finding candidates for employment in the Post Office. In fact, it was impossible to meet the wishes of many of those who desired to enter the Department. In those circumstances he thought it could hardly be contended seriously that the remuneration offered was grossly inadequate, or that the conditions of service were unduly onerous.”
The House of Commons accepted the compromise offered by the Government. Lord Tweedmouth, Lord Privy Seal and a Member of the Cabinet, was made Chairman of the Committee, which consisted, in addition, of Sir F. Mowatt, Permanent Secretary of the Treasury; Sir A. Godley, Under Secretary of State for India; Mr. Spencer Walpole, Permanent Secretary to the Post Office; and Mr. Llewellyn Smith, of the Labor Department of the Board of Trade.[168]
FOOTNOTES:
[120] Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments, 1897; q. 15,119; Mr. Lewin Hill, Assistant Secretary, General Post Office, London.