From July 1, 1934, to June 30, 1935, there were 2,259 rural-route consolidations made, and from July 1, 1935, up to February 18, 1936, there were 627. Senator MCKELLAR. Six hundred and twenty-seven? Mr. BRANCH. Yes, sir. Senator MCKELLAR. With what saving to the department? Senator MCKELLAR. Yes, sir. Mr. BRANCH. The saving on the 2,259, made during the period from July 1, 1934, to June 30, 1935, amounted to the sum of $2,614,037.72. Senator McKELLAR. How much additional Mr. BRANCH. Wait just a minute, and I will take up the other period. On those 627 made since July 1, 1935, up to February 18, 1936, the savings amounted to $576,395.69. Senator MCKELLAR. Now, in the same period how much additional funds in salaries have you paid rural carriers already? Mr. BRANCH. I do not believe I understand you. Senator MCKELLAR. Well, where you consolidated the route, you increased the pay of the carrier on the route? Mr. BRANCH. When you put two routes together, by consolidation, and you put one carrier on where there have been two, the one carrier on the consolidated route serves more mileage and consequently receives more pay. Senator MCKELLAR. How much more pay? Mr. BRANCH. I do not know, Senator, how we can get at that. We will have to see if we can get it for you. Senator NORBECK. You have it approximately? You show what the saving has been. Now, is it approximately $8,000 a year? Mr. BRANCH. I believe it is a little more than that; yes. Senator NORBECK. Now, what was the average cost per carrier before consolidation? Mr. BRANCH. What was the average cost per carrier before consolidation? Senator NORBECK. Yes. Mr. BRANCH. It would depend, of course, on the length of the route. Senator NORBECK. I said average. Mr. BRANCH. Average? Senator NORBECK. Yes. Mr. DONALDSON. This saving takes into consideration the additional payments. This saving is over and above the additional amount paid the carriers. Senator MCKELLAR. How can you find that out, unless you have the figures as to how much is now paid the consolidated carriers? Do you mean to say that the Department does not have those figures? Mr. DONALDSON. No. Senator MCKELLAR. You ought to have them. Mr. DONALDSON. The total cost of rural-delivery service is reflected in the cost before consolidation and the cost afterwards, and this reduced cost Senator NORBECK. A carrier gets about what amount, about $3,000? Mr. DONALDSON. That is fixed by law. He gets $60 per mile for the first 30 miles and $20 a mile for each additional mile. Senator NORBECK. Your knowledge of that would enable you to give us an estimate as to what the average carrier gets? Mr. DONALDSON. The average salary right now is about $2,000 per year. Senator NORBECK. Does it mean this then, that about half of the savings effected from the dropping of one carrier goes to pay the carrier who takes on his work? Mr. DONALDSON. This saving is an absolute saving over and above the additional cost. Senator NORBECK. Of course. We understand that. I will put it in other words. We will assume a set of facts where each carrier gets $2,000, but you consolidate the routes and save $1,000 or so. Does that mean that one carrier gets $3,000 whereas he used to get $2,000? Mr. DONALDSON. No; the average figure of $2,000 is based upon the salary of all carriers. Some get less than that and some get more. After considering all consolidations, the average salary of a carrier today is about $2,000. Some may get $1,600 and some more and some less. Senator NORBECK. We know all of that. That is not what I am after. I am sorry that I am not able to put the question so that I can get the answer. I say, assuming now that two carriers are working getting $2,000 apiece, but their route becomes consolidated. How much does the one remaining carrier then get? Mr. DONALDSON. That depends upon the number of miles. Mr. DONALDSON. Well, we will give you this concrete example of two routes, 30 miles each in length. The carrier on each route is getting $1,800 per annum. If the routes are consolidated into one, the one carrier got $1,800 and he will get an additional $600 per annum. Senator NORBECK. Now, we are getting at that. That is all I am trying to get. Senator MCKELLAR. Mr. Branch, is it the intention of the Department to go on consolidating these routes? Mr. BRANCH. It is the policy. Senator MCKELLAR. And increasing the pay of the carrier who is so luck as to retain the consolidated route? Mr. BRANCH. It is the policy of the Department, Senator, and has been since 1925, to consolidate rural routes where it was practicable and proper to do so. Now, when I say that, I refer to the length of the routes, and the condition of the routes, and the schedule which can be made by the carrier over those routes. Let me say this further: We only make consolidations where there is a vacancy due to death, due to resignation, or due to the removal for cause, or retirement of the carrier. In no other cases are consolidations made. Senator MCKELLAR. How many new carriers have been appointed within the last year, and the year before that? Mr. BRANCH. Senator, I do not know that number, but Mr. Donaldson says that he can give you the approximate number over the last 2 years. We have appointed approximately 386 carriers during the last 2 years. Senator MCKELLAR. You have appointed approximately 386 carriers during the last 2 years? Mr. DONALDSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCKELLAR. How does that correspond with the state ment made heretofore of 300 a year, before you began the consolidations; about how many did you appoint per year then? Mr. BRANCH. It is a higher rate, Senator, due to the fact that during the operation of the economy act we had a number of retirements, quite a number, based upon 30 years' service. That act expired but during that period the number of consolidations was much greater than for any other like period. Senator NORBECK. Have you any records showing the average length of time per day it takes for these carriers to deliver their mail? Mr. BRANCH. Yes, sir. The average route is between 39 and 40 miles in length and the average time to serve it is a little over 4 hours. That is correct, is it not? Mr. DONALDSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCKELLAR. Well how does the pay of carriers of consolidated routes conform to the pay or correspond to the pay of carriers of established routes generally which have not been consolidated? Mr. BRANCH. You mean on routes which have not been consolidated? Senator McKELLAR. In other words, are not the consolidated routes the highest paid routes you have? Mr. BRANCH. I would say generally speaking; yes; because they are perhaps the longer routes. The old Senator MCKELLAR. Are they the longer routes? Mr. BRANCH. In most instances; yes. The consolidations which have been brought about due to the good roads, and automobiles making it easier for the carrier to perform his service in a reasonable time, has resulted in longer routes in most instances. There would be no consolidations, of course, if it were not for these improved roads. There would have been no consolidations. Senator MCKELLAR. Mr. Crowley, will you get this and show me the principal provisions or the provision of law under which rural routes may be consolidated? Mr. CROWLEY. Yes; Mr. Chairman. Senator MCKELLAR. NOW, go ahead. Senator NORBECK. May I ask a question? Senator McKELLAR. Yes. Senator NORBECK. Does the consolidation of this sort approximately double the mileage? Mr. BRANCH. I beg your pardon. Senator NORBECK. Does the consolidations generally result in approximately doubling the length of the routes? Mr. BRANCH. No. Senator NORBECK. It does not? Mr. BRANCH. No; it does not. have some short routes. Senator, we have had and still Senator NORBECK. I know, but I mean on consolidated routes. Mr. BRANCH. It does not double them. I would not say that any number of them are doubled in mileage, or any considerable number of them. It does materially increase many of them. We have a route that I do not think was consolidated, one of our longest routes down in Mississippi. It is 70 or 80 miles long, is it not, Mr. Donaldson, and it has very few boxes on it. It is on a flat paved road but has very few boxes. It is in a section where mostly colored people live and so there are very few boxes. Senator NORBECK. That never was a horse and buggy route? Mr. BRANCH. That never was. That was established as an automobile route. Senator NORBECK. Is it not a fact that most of these began as horse-drawn vehicle routes? Mr. BRANCH. Most of them began that way. Senator NORBECK. Then as you get an automobile, one drops out and you give the other one the two routes. That is the way the consolidation is effected? Mr. BRANCH. No; frequently we give it to a man who has an automobile. As a matter of fact, practically all carriers use automobiles in serving their routes. For instance, we frequently have vacancies occur on a route where we will say it is 25 miles or 22 miles in length and there will be two routes out of that office, none approximating 50 miles. Maybe they will be less than that. Maybe we can consolidate those routes to advantage. We can put those two shorter routes together and make a route of 45 miles, or 47 miles or something of that sort on good roads. That is the way we do it. We send an inspector out and he spends a certain length of time making personal investigation, draws maps of the roads, and submits a report concerning the feasibility of the consolidation. Senator NORBECK. I am familiar with that, have seen that at home. I was wondering if that was what was worked out in other places. Mr. BRANCH. Yes, sir; the same policy we have everywhere. Senator MCKELLAR. Mr. Branch, you do have to increase the salaries of these people who run the consolidated routes? That is true, is it not? Mr. BRANCH. Well, by law, their salaries are automatically increased when the mileage of their route is increased. We Senator MCKELLAR. Automatically, and yet you cannot tell how much they have been increased? Why is it that the Department is not able to show how much their salaries have been increased? Mr. BRANCH. Senator, we probably could work that out. have increased several thousand routes during the past 10 or 12 years and I doubt that we have kept just that particular item. It will be necessary to go back and check on all of the consolidations. 51314-36— Mr. DONALDSON. We have in each instance the salary of the carrier and the length of the route prior to the consolidation and after consolidation, but that is not kept in running totals as to all routes. We could figure it as to each route. For instance, we could take a case where a carrier was serving a 30-mile route and which has been increased by consolidation to 45 miles, and we right away know what increased salary he receives. We show that as to each route, but we do not keep the running total of that amount. Senator MCKELLAR. Does his salary increase on the same percentage basis? Suppose there is an increase of 75 percent in distance, do you increase the salary 75 percent? Mr. BRANCH. No, sir; the law fixes the salary of the rural carrier at $60 per mile for the first 30 miles. Senator McKELLAR. That is $1,800. Mr. DONALDSON. Now, he gets $20 a mile for each additional mile. We might add 2 miles at $20 and he would get an increase of $40, or we might add 10 miles, which would give him an increase of $200. Senator MCKELLAR. If there was an increase of 50 miles, that would make $3,000 a year. Mr. BRANCH. I mean, he receives $60 a mile, and if his route was 30 miles long, that would be $1,800. Mr. DONALDSON. That is right. Senator MCKELLAR. Now, if you increased it 60 miles more, would that be $1,200 more? Mr. DONALDSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCKELLAR. That would make $3,000? Mr. BRANCH. We never make such increases. Senator MCKELLAR. I have had a letter, received sometime ago, stating that two rural routes had been consolidated in east Tennessee and another rural carrier had been brought in from several counties away and given the route, and as the holder of the consolidated route he got $5,200. Now, how could that have happened? Mr. BRANCH. I know of no such case, Senator; never heard of it. Senator MCKELLAR. I sent the letter to you and asked for a reply. I did not get one. Mr. BRANCH. I do not recall ever seeing the letter, Senator. Mr. DONALDSON. Yes, sir. The longest route we have is 90 miles, at Brawley, Calif., and the salary of that carrier would be $1,800 for the first 30 miles and for the additional 60 miles would be $1,200, or a total of $3,000, and that is the highest salary. Senator MCKELLAR. What allowance does he get? Mr. DONALDSON. He gets an equipment allowance of 5 cents a mile to maintain his automobile. Senator MCKELLAR. Now, what would that be? Mr. DONALDSON. That would be at the rate of $4.50 a day for his equipment allowance, but that is not considered any part of his salary, because that is to cover the cost of gasoline, oil, and repairs and parts. Senator McADOO. Maintenance. Mr. DONALDSON. Maintenance of equipment. Senator MCADOO. Including depreciation, and so forth. |