other Government employee is only being asked to take a temporary cut, in imposing this permanent cut upon the rural carriers?"

The CHAIRMAN. The answer is this: That by a reduction of the hours of work under the N.R.A. they are trying to divide up the work among various workers, so that the vast number of people who are hungry may find employment and food and shelter. In this Department they have given those who are already in their pay, and excluded everybody else from employment. That is the fact about it.

Mr. ARMSTRONG. Because of the circumstances surrounding our type of service, that is true. The Department makes a saving of approximately $1,000 in every consolidation.

The CHAIRMAN. It plays havoc with the conditions.

Mr. ARMSTRONG. It plays havoc with the thought in the community that you are not getting more money although you are performing more service. You are saving money for the Government. The CHAIRMAN. But you are keeping out those who would naturally come into the service.

Mr. ARMSTRONG. Yes; but, as I said a while ago, we would be happy to see a limitation placed in this bill in respect to consolidation of routes.

The Iowa State College has been referred to as having worked out a cost account, having made a survey in regard to the number and types of cars. We are entering into a survey with them, in which they are going to gather what it costs the rural service. In my correspondence with the engineer in charge of that particular part of the college work, he tells me that there is no comparable rural group, when it comes to the cost of operating a car, and that in no other place does he know of a group where the total operation of a car over all types of road and at all seasons of the year can be had except in the rural service. The figures we have gathered show better than 6 cents for the operation of a car in our service. So how we can be expected to lose, both in the cost of the operation of a car and lose in the salary scale, is inconceivable to me. I don't understand it. Senator O'Mahoney, while you were out, I made a reference to outside employment. We are prohibited by the rules and regulations of the Post Office Department from entering into outside employment. We cannot increase our gross earnings to any extent, except those who violated the rules, and you know what the attitude of the Department is toward those who violate the Postal Laws and Regulations. If a short-route man is under the civil service, he is under the same rules and regulations as the long-route man. That is the difficulty with subclerks and carriers, where they are compelled to report to the Post Office every day, because they are under civilservice rules and regulations. The man who is hurt the worst is the man in the rural service. I feel that the rural carriers must be really above the average citizenship of the United States. They are thrifty and upright citizens.

The CHAIRMAN. They are the very best of our citizens. There is no doubt about that.

Senator O'MAHONEY. You are an earnest and effective advocate. Mr. Armstrong.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any other witnesses who want to get away this afternoon? Had you finished, Mr. Armstrong?

Mr. ARMSTRONG. There is no finish. I could talk to you indefinitely about it. There is no end to it. There is no end to the picture I

have to present.

Senator O'MAHONEY. He can Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. He always does.

always make it interesting, Mr.

Mr. ARMSTRONG. I have a few more letters here from which I would like to read brief extracts into the record. Here is one from Sisseton, S.Dak.:

We, the six rural letter carriers from this office, want to say, regarding the salary-revision bill, that we don't see how rural carriers can stand any salary revision downward. Rural carriers are unjustly discriminated against now in the present salary cuts due to loss of most of our equipment allowance. Some of us are driving cars 5 years old, some of us have had to borrow on insurance to keep going, some have had to drop insurance entirely.

Here is one from Gormania, W.Va.:

My route is 24.72 miles, with 18 miles of dirt road, and I mean dirt with no bottom it seems. In regard to equipment allowance, I wish to say our garage here gave me a net price of $700 per year to furnish me with a car and they bear all expenses. I can furnish a sworn statement to that effect.

Carrier in Kane, Pa., says:

We have had a pretty hard week here and the roads are getting settled, and guess I have been mired at some point on my route every day except Saturday, and on that day I stayed on the improved road and was able to give complete service through the courtesy of patrons who met me or made some arrangement for others to get their mail for them, and hope to get along better, as warmer weather is settling the dirt roads, though some of our improved roads are getting pretty badly heaved up on account of the deep frost which was in the ground this year.

Here is one from North Rose, N.Y.:

Back a few years ago when my salary wouldn't stretch to meet all bills, I was able to run a tractor a few days, repair tractors and trucks, or pick apples afternoons to make both ends meet. Now we are forbidden this and must get along on our salaries with the drastic cut the best we may. I have looked forward to an extension of my route, and it has been extended twice, up to 51.07 miles, but with the cut, especially in the winter, it is a job to make this shortened salary stretch far enough to cover all costs. Here is hoping for a fair deal for us carriers.

A carrier from Pinson, Ala., says:

I have 60 miles, 306 boxes, and no deep mud. I do not have to use chains except at rare times when we have snow and that is only once every 4 or 5 years. However, my expenses are 6.8 cents per mile.

This is a letter from a carrier at Lowville, N.Y., who says:

I have 25 miles for 6 months and 39 for the other 6, have about 15 miles of State and county road, and the rest runs from crushed stone to good old New York mud.

Besides upkeeping my car I have to keep four horses. They eat hay and oats if they work or not. I carried a $2,000 life-insurance policy. I have had to let it go. I have a small one for each of my four boys which, through the kindness of the agent taking his pay hit-and-miss when he can get it, I have been able to keep them up. When I got my last check I paid my coal, gas, and feed bill, payment of $10 on my car, a tire (not a new one, a second), and lacked $2.18 of having enough to pay my grocery.

Now some say outside work is preferable. Maybe, I will say, for 3 months in the summer. But how about 25 and 30 and even a couple of mornings 0 below? I notice not many of the clerks are very anxious to trade jobs with us. Now, I do not mean the clerk or city carrier is getting one bit more than they deserve, but I do mean we earn and work just as hard for our money as they do.

Here is a letter from a carrier from Buffalo, Kans., from which I will read a short extract:

The first salary cut that we received, July 1, 1932, didn't hurt so much, but the next one pinched quite a bit and I want to say, Brother Armstrong, that the third one, July 1 last, hurt and hurt bad. Previous to that date I was able to keep my grocery and gasoline and oil bills paid in full each pay day, and pay a little on some other indebtedness. But now that is impossible. Since July 1, I have gone behind on the above-mentioned bills, to say nothing of being unable to reduce my other indebtedness. In order to keep my credit and standing good in the community, I placed a mortgage on my home and borrowed enough money to take care of some of my financial obligations. I did this about 3 weeks ago. Had I received no reduction in my salary whatsoever I would not had had to place the mortgage on my home. I was sincerely hoping that our "raise" would take effect October 1, but will have to make the best of it. I am thankful, though, that the raise takes effect November 1.

I have some statements here from automobile dealers and garage owners in various places as to the cost of operating cars and as to what they would furnish rural carriers with carriers and service for. Here is one from Forrest City, Ark.:

I have been consulted in regard to my expenses in operating cars on dirt and gravel roads in this territory. I operated a U-Drive-It system and kept record of expenditures of operation. From my set-up 114 to 124 cents per mile was my actual expense.

I feel that these figures are as low as a man can run a car on the dirt and gravel roads in St. Francis County.

Here is another one from Bemidji, Minn.:

I, the undersigned, having known L. L. Knott, rural carrier on route no. 2, Turtle River, Minn., for the past 12 years and having serviced his equipment for most of that time and knowing the road and weather conditions under which he must travel, hereby state that under no consideration would I furnish equipment the year round for less than 12 cents a mile and would not be anxious to do so even at that figure.

Here is another one from Henderson, Tex., which says:

In reply to your request of February 9, 1934, I will furnish any or all of your cars to use on your mail routes the year round for 10 cents per mile, plus 50 cents per hour, plus $5 per month for incidentals. Will furnish you dependable cars that will make your route if any car can.

A garage dealer in Titusville, Pa., says:

In response to your request for rate per mile for car to be used on mail route, we herewith submit a rate of 15 cents per mile. This rate to include all operating cost of car while under our lease.

Here is another one from Titusville, Pa.:

In response to your request for rate per mile for rental of car to be used on mail route, we herewith submit a rate of 15 cents per mile. This rate to include all operating and maintenance cost of car while under our lease.

Here is one from Hebron, Nebr. This is from a dealer who had been a substitute carrier and, presumably, knows something about it: Having received your request for an estimate as to what we would agree to charge per mile for the use of an automobile to carry mail in Hebron and Thayer County, I will try to answer this to the best of my ability.

Having once been a substitute carrier and at another time been a temporary carrier, and having experienced some of the weather and road conditions to which a mail carrier is subject, I believe that I am qualified to attempt this. After figuring gasoline, oil, grease, greasing of car, washing, antifreeze, chains, tire repairs and replacements, storage, insurance, interest on money invested, depreciation, license, personal taxes, etc., and taking the average number of miles driven, my estimate would be 7 95/100 cents per mile. But

under present conditions, with the price of automobiles and all other supplies going up, we would not enter into a contract to furnish cars at this figure.

I have some clippings from various publications I would like to submit for the record, and some tables showing these costs.

(The following documents were thereupon submitted: A printed statement headed "Mississippi, Shake Out the Chiselers "; a printed statement headed "Composite Picture of Average Rural Carrier "; a statement headed "Costs Average Man $150 Tax on $800 Auto " a table entitled "Six Months' Survey of Equipment Costs"; a table entitled "Inescapable Expense Borne by Rural Carriers in Various States as Represented by Gas Tax and Registration Fees for Motor Vehicles"; a table entitled "Summaries Compiled From 19,932 Questionnaires Received in Board of Control Fact Finding Survey"; and a table entitled "Table Showing Comparison Between Present Basic Pay Scale and Pay Scale Under H.R. 8919.")

MISSISSIPPI, SHAKE OUT THE CHISELERS

VAIDEN, MISS., February 28.

While it's so cold this afternoon I can't venture out in my threadbare clothes; will write a few lines.

Looks to me like the thing is all wrong.

The fifth chapter of Nehemiah gives a pretty good picture of the conditions that exist.

Most of the governors had oppressed until the people had lost their lands, homes, and vineyards and were crying for bread when Nehemiah took charge, For the fear of the Lord he gave back what had been taken wrongly and charged that anyone caught chiseling again should be shaken out.

Has not the present administration been shaking some of the grafters out? Hope the President and his committees will clean them all out and give every fellow a square deal; then and not until then can we have a happy and prosperous Nation.

Just a few words in regards to our pay scale-I think so much per mile. and not hours worked is the best.

Some can write two or three receipts while others write one and do the same working mail.

Some would and do kill time while others make all the time they can.

I was reared on a farm to the tune of a plow line, four ply, and went to the old-fashioned school where reading and writing and arithmetic was taught to the tune of a hickory stick. Then I served in the United States Navy and by stepping to "Aye, aye, sir", went from apprentice seaman to first-class turret captain in 3 years.

I had a little rapid calculation in Masseys Business College, then served awhile in Railway Mail with some old clerks who would yell, "Don't let 'em stick to your hands."

Well I just got in high in those days and can't shift gears cause there are 10 hungry mouths depending on my labor.

If Mr. Farley will take my shoes 1 month with all the debts and responsibilities and believe he had to continue to carry the load under the same circumstances, he would have a different attitude toward the Rural Service.

My gas, oil, and repair bill for last month was $34.50, my car payment $35, making $69.50 to come out of my check which amounts to about $170, leaving about $100 per month to feed and clothe 10, educate 7, pay taxes, interest on borrowed money, insurance, to church, etc.

If any sane man will meditate over this a little while he will see it can't be done, yet I serve with a smile because I live by faith and not by sight. He has promised to lead by pastures green and waters still and I know He is able to keep that which I trust Him against that day.

ROUTE NO. 3.

E. G. RANDLE.

COMPOSITE PICTURE OF AVERAGE RURAL CARRIER

Mr. Average Rural Carrier toils 7.49 hours each day over roads, 57.8 percent of which are dirt, to eke out a precarious living for a family of 5.58. He is 44.73 years old, has been in the service 14.63 years, and is living in a property worth $3,416.32, which is encumbered to the extent of $1,726.40. His debts amount to $599.87 and he is required to keep in spic and span condition equipment costing $757.22.

This accurate picture of the working and financial conditions surrounding the 40,000 rural carriers in the country is drawn from questionnaires prepared with painstaking care by 33.2 percent of the carriers after their compilation, under the direction of National President W. G. Armstrong, of the rural letter carriers' organization, by expert accountants. It checks at comparable points both with official records of the Post Office Department and data of the American Road Builders Association and has been accepted in Washington as accurate.

The averages which are drawn down to the last possible decimal are taken from 12,932 questionnaires received from 45 States upon information submitted with the understanding an affidavit as to its reliability can be furnished if demanded.

Thirty-five percent of the carriers are forced to use auxiliary help in order to maintain their high level of service and the average cost on this account is $58.46.

The average length of route is 33.75 miles and the average number of boxes 142.

An analysis of the working day of the rural carrier reveals that he spends 7.22 hours on his route under bad conditions which prevail 29.5 percent of the year, while he spends 3.54 hours on the route under ideal conditions which prevail 70.5 percent of the year. The average number of hours the carrier is on duty in the post office is 1.69 hours, while he spends 1.18 hours daily in the care of his equipment, making the average hours on duty through the year 7.49 hours.

Taking the average route of 33.75 miles it is found that 19.51 miles, or 57.8 percent of the route is made up of dirt roads; 9.35 miles, or 27.7 percent of the route of average gravel roads; and 4.89 miles, or 14.5 percent of average hardsurfaced roads.

The average number in a rural carrier's family is 4.28 with 1.95 children under 21 years of age, while the average number of dependents upon the family is 1.30.

While 85.6 percent of the carriers own a small equity in their home, it is found that 26.7 percent of them inherited this advantage.

Ninety-five and two tenths percent of the carriers pay taxes amounting to $75.69. In the matter of insurance 91.6 percent pay life and health accident insurance permiums amounting to $134.65; fire-insurance premiums amounting to $22.68, and automobile-insurance premiums amounting to $26.76.

Only 21.9 percent of the carrier body receive money outside of their positions as carriers, and the amount made by this group averages $205.97 per annum. The comprehensive statistics show that 28.2 percent of the carriers are exservice men, while 6.3 percent of them transferred to the Rural Service.

COSTS AVERAGE MAN $150 TAX ON $800 AUTO

POOR LITTLE CAR OWNER GOUGED TO LIMIT IN KANSAS

It costs the average man who can own the average automobile in the $800 class around $150 just for the mere privilege of owning that car and deriving average service from it for 1 year.

Here's the way it figures out:

Three percent Federal manufacturers' tax, $24.

Three percent Federal sales tax, $24.

State automobile license (at present rates), $11.

State gasoline tax (estimated), at 3 cents a gallon, $31.20.

Property tax (on assessed valuation of $480), $15.36.

Federal gasoline tax, at 1 cent a gallon, $10.40.

Plus Federal oil tax and other Federal taxes on tires and accessories which would bring the total up to around $150.