The clerks throughout the department, in character, intelligence, and dependability, are above the average. Not only must postal clerks be familiar with the location of several thousand post-offices, but they must know on what railroad each post-office is located, through what junction points a letter despatched to that office must pass, and many other important details. The schedules of railroads affect the method of despatching mail, and these are constantly changing so that postal clerks must be up to the minute on all schedules, etc.
Red Corpuscles for Our Postal Arteries
A new post-office policy that is well expressed by the words "humanized service" has been inaugurated. The postal educational exhibits which have been conducted in many of the larger offices for the purposes of teaching the public how to mail and how not to mail letters, parcels, and valuables were but single manifestations of this new spirit. Some persons may think—and with good reason—that only recently have postal authorities indicated concern in what the public did; but that the present interest is genuine is evident to any one. The department is likewise interested in its workers and makes an effort to understand them. Says the head of the department in his latest report: "We are dependent on the nerve and the sense of loyalty of human beings for the punctual delivery of our mail regardless of the weather and everything else. To treat a postal employee as a mere commodity in the labor market is not only wicked from a humanitarian standpoint, but is foolish and short-sighted even from the standpoint of business. The postal employee who is regarded as a human being whose welfare is important to his fellows, high and low, in the national postal organization, is bound to do his work with a courage, a zest, and a thoroughness which no money value can ever buy. The security which he feels he passes on to the men and women he serves. Instead of a distrust of his Government, he radiates confidence in it. I want to make every man and woman in the postal service feel that he or she is a partner in this greatest of all business undertakings, whose individual judgment is valued, and whose welfare is of the utmost importance to the successful operation of the whole organization. We want every postal co-worker to feel that he has more than a job. A letter-carrier does a good deal more than bring a letter into a home when he calls. He ought to know the interest which his daily travels bring to the home. We have 326,000 men and women with the same objective, with the same hopes and aspirations, all working together for the same purpose, a mutual appreciation one for the other, serving an appreciative public. If we can improve the spirit and actual working conditions of these 326,000 men and women who do this job, that in itself is an accomplishment, and it is just as certain to bring a consequent improvement in the service as the coming of tomorrow's sun."
Welfare Work
Few people know that to-day a welfare department is in operation throughout the postal system which is directly interested in improving the working conditions of all the postal workers. The department was organized in June, 1921, by the appointment of a welfare director. Councils of employees meet regularly to consider matters affecting their welfare and to discuss plans for improving the postal service. The National Welfare Council has been formed of the following postal employee organizations:
National Federation of Post-office Clerks
The Railway Mail Association
United National Association of Post-office Clerks
National Rural Letter-Carriers Association
National Association of Letter-Carriers
National Federation of Rural Carriers
National Association of Supervisory Employees
National Federation of Federal Employees
National Association of Post-office Laborers
Mutual aid and benefit societies with insurance features are conducted, athletics are encouraged, sick benefits are provided, retirement pensions are in effect, and postal employees to-day can well believe that somebody cares about their comfort and welfare. Incidentally, savings aggregating many thousands of dollars annually have been effected through the suggestions and inventions of employees in the service.
One of the important divisions in the postal service is that which pertains to the inspection work, much of which does not attract outside attention and only comes to public notice when some one has gotten into trouble with the postal authorities. In a large measure, inspection work pertains to the apprehension of criminals and the investigation of depredations, but that is only a comparatively small part of the division's activities.
Post-office inspectors investigate and report upon matters affecting every branch of the postal service; they are traveling auditors and check up accounts and collect shortages; they decide where an office should be located, how it should be fitted up, and how many clerks or carriers may be needed.
The rural carriers, for instance, must be familiar with the regulations that cover the delivery of mail, registration of letters, taking applications for money-orders, sale of stamps, supplies, etc., but the inspector must also know all of these and also be able to determine when the establishment of a route is warranted, to lay out and fix the schedules and prepare a map and description of the route, also measure the routes if the length is in dispute, inspect the service, ascertain whether it is properly performed, and give necessary instructions to the carriers and postmasters.