Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1915 — PROPOSED REDUCTION IN P. M. SALARIES [ARTICLE]

PROPOSED REDUCTION IN P. M. SALARIES

Bill Provides a Reduction of Rensselaer Offlce x From $2,100 to $2)000.

Washington, Jan. 4 —Under a plan of readjusting the salaries of postmasters of the first and second classes proposed by Postmaster General Burleoon, the salaries of many Indiana postmasters would be reduced and the salary of only one—the postmaster of Fort Wayne, would he increased. The salaries of the postmasters of Boonville, Crawfordsville, Danville, Delphi, Garrett, Goshen, Hammond, Montpelier, New Albany, Salem and Terre Haute would remain the same as at present.

The postmasters of Indianapolis, South Bend, Evansville, Lafayette and other larger cities of the state would feel the effects of the pruning knife. The salary of the postmaster at Fort Wayne would be increased from $3,800 to $4,000 a year, owing to the large receipts of that postoffice. The seheme provides for a general readjustment' based wholly on the postoffice receipts. The following salaries are provided: At each postoffice where the receipts are SB,OOO and less than $20,000, the salary shall be $2,000; from $20,000 to $40,000, $2,500; from $40,000 to $160,000, $3,000; from $160,000 to $340,000, $3,500; from $340,000 to $610,000, $4,000; from $610,000 to $1,000,000, $4,500; from $1,000,000 to $1,600,000, $5,000, etc.

The plan has been approved by the house committee on postoffice and postroads aqd incorporated in the postoffice appropriation bill, which is now pending before the house for action. Under the socalled “Holman rule” general legislation is in order on an appropriation bill, provided it would result in a reduction of expenditures. As this is an economy move the parliamentary “sharps” say it is certain to be brought to a vote In the house.

There is, however, strong opposition to the legislation from democratic congressmen who have suc-ceeded-In getting democrats appointed to presideritial postmasterships and who think it would ill become a democratic congress to reduce the salaries of these officials as soon as they get in office. The proposed decieases in salaries of local interest are:

Crown Point, from $2,300 to $2,000. East Chicago, from $2,600 to $2,500. Elkhart, from $3,500 to $3,000. Elwood, from $2,600 to $2,500. Frankfort, from $2,800 to $2,500. Gary, from $3,200 to $3,000. Kokomo, irom $3,300 to $3,000. Lafayette, from $3,300 to $3,000. Laporte, from $3,100 to $3,000. . Logansport from $3,100 to $3,000. Michigan City, from $2,900 to $2,500. i Monticello, from $2,100 to $2,000. Rensselaer, from $2,100 to $2,000. Wabash, from $2,700 to $2,500. Warsaw, from $2,500 to $2,000. Whiting, from $2,300 to $2,000. Winchester, from $2,600 to $2,500. Representative William A. Cullop, ofo Indiana, who has made a record of aggressive opposition of civil service, today came out emphatically against these proposed decreases of postmasters’ salaries. ‘The laborer is worthy of his hire,” said Cullop, “and that rule ought to apply to public officers as well as to private employment”