HARVARD

LIBRARY

Reduce the overhead? Aye, that is the question! How to reduce this overhead? There are many ways.

First, as suggested by the brothers from Providence, we can reduce down to a Burleson efficiency. Why not go a step further? After we have discharged the Chief Collector of the M. B. A., the Chief Clerk of the N. S. B. A., and their staff of helpers, we no doubt could find many letter carriers capable of keeping books or pounding the typewriter, who might be persuaded to undertake the job of carrying on the business of these organizations at their homes, nights, after the day's work is over. Thus we could cut the overhead down to nothing! Why not try it? We have tried a great many other things that were not nearly so reasonable as this! Just think, this $14,000 spent in general expenses if saved for a hundred years will amount to $1,400,000.

The other plan, as suggested in the March issue of the Record by Trustee Engel, is not nearly so feasible, as it would involve some little labor on the part of the members. Why should a member of the M. B. A. get new members? Why should he care whether or not his insurance is in good shape? He is too busy, anyway. He hasn't got the time to bother. All his spare time is so much taken up with the cares of pinochle or checkers that he cannot-absolutely cannotspare the time. Or he is busily engaged in getting the intricate details of the latest risque story. Let George do it. That is the solution. He's got more time and doesn't play pinochle anyway. And if the M. B. A. doesn't prosper it's the fault of these men at the head of it. Yes, sir. They shouldn't be elected if they can't make it go. "I don't care what you do, only don't raise my dues and don't ask me to get anybody to join. What's it to me, anyway?"

Unquestionably we could handle a membership much greater than it now is for but a little more than our pres

ent expense. I rather imagine that the Chief Collector has pared his expense account down to the irreducible minimum, especially in view of the fact that he is an elective officer with an election at hand. This with the unpopularity of special assessments might well make him pause.

We forget the fact that the cost of caring for an organization has increased in about the same proportion as has the cost of caring for an individual. Our salaries in 1915 were $1,200 and there was no especial agitation for more money. The cost of high living had not as yet reached us. In 1914 the disbursements from the general fund were $10,108 and in 1915 were $7,401, a total for the two years of $17,509. The cost of caring for the M. B. A. was approximately $28,000 for the two-year period, 191920. An increase of 60 per cent.

Now get this point. If the expenses of a letter carrier had increased from 1915 to 1920 so that he demanded an increase in salary of 100 per cent, is it not reasonable to suppose that the expenses of the M. B. A. had so increased? Yet the general expenses had not increased in anything like the percentage we would naturally expect.

We must not forget that the change made at Dallas in the methods of transacting the M. B. A. business necessitated an increase in expenses. We have increased the salary of the Chief Collector to $3,000. And I want to say right here that I think Brother Swartz earns his money. And we must not forget that stenographers are no longer working for $75 per month. Then there is the further fact of office rent that we evidently did not pay in Wilmot Dunn's time. No, I do not think that the present administration, whatever else may be its shortcomings, can be accused of extravagance.

We cannot have an organization without overhead. And if we cut the overhead we Burlesonize the efficiency,

No. 4

A per capita tax of twenty cents is not too much under the present conditions. If we do not want to pay this much, why we always have the remedy at hand-double our membership.

I think that is the solution. Special assessments hurt. They sound bad. But few members differentiate between the general fund and the benefit fund. Special assessments mean to them that the M. B. A. is in a precarious condition. No amount of explaining can quite eradicate this idea. Again a raise at this time, even if only for five or ten cents, might prove disastrous and for the reasons just quoted. We have had the shock of re-rating, but at the cost of many members. We are telling the members that at last we are solvent-perhaps next year we may be able to skip an assessment. Then we add five or ten cents to the dues. Think of the effect it would have. Those of us who read the articles in the Postal Record would no doubt know just why, but how few members read the Postal Record. It matters not that the status of the general fund has no effect on the benefit fund. To many members and prospective members a raise is a raise no matter for what purpose.

It is too bad that the Philadelphia convention did not see fit to handle this problem properly. It would then have been accepted by the men who would now "holler," as a part of the re-rating proposition. As it is, a raise in the per capita tax or a special next fall will cost us members when we can ill afford to lose them. This short-sighted policy on the part of the delegates to this convention has probably cost us more than we really know, as without funds, organization work is at a standstill. One would think that years of inadequate salaries would teach letter carriers that the lack of money is the greatest of all evils.

There is one thing that a raise of ten cents per month would do and that is to enable us to have a little organization work. A prophet has but little honor in his own home town. By the same token an outsider can do much more effective work than can a local man for whom familiarity has bred contempt. It is absolutely necessary for us to grow. No insurance

company, fraternal or otherwise, can do business without an influx of new members, as its rates are based on the fact that new members must come in to replace those who die or lapse.

We must have new members if we expect to live! We must have new members to cut down our overhead. We must have new members to stop special assessments.

I would like to offer this suggestion to the Chief Collector.

Get out a leaflet explaining in detail the benefits offered by the M. B. A., incorporating in this a part of the article by President Gainor entitled "A Million Dollar Corporation." Or better still, have him revise it for this leaflet. Present the case concisely and strongly. Have enough printed so that every letter carrier in each postoffice would get one. I am sure that the majority of the Branch collectors would welcome something of this sort.

I believe, also, that space in every issue of the Postal Record should be had to carry the table of rates, with an explanation of each option, and also an article each month on the necessity of carrying insurance. do not advertise enough and while the monthly statement of the Chief Collector is of interest to a few M. B. A. members, it means nothing to the non-member.

We

When you come to St. Louis in September you will come in contact with the following named brothers in their official capacity:

Board of Managers

Chas. E. Roth, chairman, 4269 Maffit Ave.; Jos. E. Marichen, vice chairman, 5058 Northland Ave.; Wm. Gintel, secretary, 4277 Maffit Ave.; Jno. A. Lovett, treasurer, 5644 Garfield Ave.

Chairmen of Committees Publicity and Guests, W. K. Dunn, 3131 Washington Ave.

Entertainment, R. C. Weinheimer, 4224 Grace Ave.

Hotels, E. Reimer, 3025 N. 25th St. Banquet, R. E. Steinmeyer, 3450 Indiana Ave.

Information Bureau, Wm. Kleeberger, 4331 Hunt Ave.

Badge and Pennant, Wm. H. Daub, 1102 Hickory St.

Parade, Carl Hammer, 4223 Blair Ave.

Halls, Jos. L. Cassidy, 5352 Wells Ave.

Reception, Hebert St.

E. W. Engel, 2641

All business communications of any nature should be addressed to Wm. Gintel, secretary, 4277 Maffit Ave., who will dispatch same to the committee to which it properly belongs for prompt attention.

Last month I pointed out a few places of interest to be seen in the city which is not far removed from the center of population. It will be seen that St. Louis is a great railroad center, there being some forty roads running into the city with from six to eight passenger trains each, daily, with from fifteen to twenty coaches in each train. If these trains were all coupled together into one train, carrying the surplus cars and Pullman coaches parked in the terminal yards, it would require fifty of the most powerful engines made to move it. If all the roads running into the city were made into one line, it would encircle the entire globe. If all the street cars in St. Louis were coupled together, it would make a string of cars more than 350,000 feet long; so it will be seen that the little village known as the "Mound City," located on the longest river in the world, is well equipped with railroads and street railroads.

If all the streets of St. Louis and St. Louis County were made into one straight road, it would reach to Denver. Here you will find the largest shoe factories in the world, and all of them combined constitutes the great

est output of any market in the world. If all the shoes made in St. Louis, in the course of one year, were made into one pair of shoes, the man big enough to wear them could step on the Flat Iron Building of New York and crush it as though it were an egg shell under the foot of an ordinary man. Here, also, is a reminiscence of the past (what a lamentable fact), the biggest brewery in the world, Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

If all the office buildings were placed on top of each other, it would make a building 1,000 stories high. Let some scrutinizing visitor count them if he does not believe it. If the three leading department stores were built into one store, it would require three city blocks and make a building eight stories high and two basements deep.

If all the churches were placed on top of each other, the communicants in the top church could walk right out of that church into the pearly gates of Paradise. If all the public schools were built into one building, it would require a much larger space of ground than that on which Muncie, Indiana, is built. If Ed. Gainor questions this, I challenge him to disprove the statement.

St. Louis is the greatest mule market in the world. Who has not heard of the Missouri mule? If all the mules in this State were made into one mule, what a mammoth animal he would be! He could stand with his hind feet in the Vancouver Islands, his front feet in the sands of the Gulf of Mexico, his ears could be seen by the inhabitants of Mars, and with his tail he could brush the mists from the Borealis. Hogs! If all the hogs in this State were made into one hog, one root of that hog's snoot would be equivalent to the San Francisco earthquake. This is not all, we have other things besides hogs and mules. If all the apples in Missouri were made into hard cider, it would be sufficient to keep all visitors in fine spirits while here, and if the remainder was thrown into the Missouri River, it would cause an overflow. Our Automobile Club has a membership of something like 20,000. Out of that number all visitors ought to be able to get a ride through the city and out into the country.

We note with pleasure that in Indianapolis, St. Louis clubs for our convention have been organized. Let others follow, and don't fail to look after hotel reservations sufficiently early, that no inconvenience may be experienced. Rates will be furnished in the near future, so get ready and bring all the enthusiasm you can, so that we may be inspired by your presence, which I assure you will be most welcome. Delegates will be grouped into States in the hotels as near as possible. Indianapolis, as we are informed, will send their entire uniformed force to participate in the Labor Day parade, arriving in St. Louis on Sunday, parade on Monday, and return home in the evening ready for work Tuesday. Let others follow this good example.

W. K. DUNN, Chairman, Publicity and Guests Committee.

Illinois

The twenty-third annual convention of the Illinois State Association will be held in Kankakee, July 29 and 30. This is going to be a big convention, and every Branch in the State should send a delegate. Many small Branches seem to think that the State Association and their conventions are not of much benefit, but right there is where they are mistaken.

How would our national officers ever know what the smaller Branches or carriers in the small offices want or need if it were not for these meet. ings, where the national officers have an opportunity of gaining this information first hand from the delegates from the small Branches?

Who in turn carry it to the national convention and there get their instruction from the national delegates to carry their wishes to Congress, and the result is every carrier derives a benefit.

There are quite a number of Branches scattered throughout the State which are not members of the State Association but should be as we need their presence and assistance in this good work. Every Branch in the N. A. L. C. should be in the State Association, and every Branch should send a delegate, so take this matter up at your next Branch meeting and see if it isn't possible for you to join the State Association and also send a delegate to Kankakee.

Arrangements for the convention are not quite complete, but will be in a short time. Hotel headquarters and other matters pertaining to the convention will be reported later in the Postal Record.

Please give this matter your immediate attention; join the State Association, elect your delegate, and let us all meet in Kankakee, July 29 and 30, in a grand and glorious convention. CLARENCE BECKER, State Secretary.

Springfield, Ill.

Kansas

soon

No doubt the letter carriers of Kansas will be surprised and think your Secretary has gone hog wild at seeing his name in print so again, but to meet the wishes of the rural carriers our committee has decided to change the date of our State meeting to Decoration Day, May 30, at Wichita.

This will enable us to hold a joint convention with the clerks and rural carriers. It is the desire of the committee to set the date best suited to all, so that we may be assured of a large attendance.

Now, brothers, this will be just as good as the 4th of July, except that Iwe will have less time to prepare for the work, but all we will have to do

is get busy and make up our minds to come to Wichita all cocked and primed for the best convention we have ever held in the good, old Sunflower State.

Personally, I was sorry to see the change of date of holding cur convention, as I have an invitation to attend the Missouri State convention, which will be held at Kansas City, Mo., May 30, but be it so, I am ready and "rarin' to go to the Great City

of Wichita.

Would like to see every Branch of Kansas represented, so if you are not at present a member of the State Association, get busy at once and send in your application so you may be in a position to say, "Look what we have done," instead of having to say, "I have not done my duty toward my Association," and in saying that you will acknowledge your lack of interest in the good of the service, the welfare of your family, and even a lack of interest in your own personal welfare.

Now then, brothers, let's do a little hard thinking and then get into action and go to Wichita to make this convention the best ever.

C. H. JONES, State Secretary.

Kansas City, Kans.

Missouri

The twentieth annual convention of the Missouri State Association of Letter Carriers will be held in Kansas City, May 30 and 31. As this is national convention year, this meeting promises to be one of exceptional interest. The boys at Kansas City are "on their toes" and promise us something different in the way of entertainment.

National President Edw. J. Gainor will be with us, so we will expect a large attendance.

Now just a word to those Branches that are not members of the State Association; come on in, the dues are only 20 cents per member. Let's make Missouri 100 per cent. So now is the time to send in your application for membership, elect a delegate and all aboard for Kansas City.

Joplin, Mo.

EARL REED, State Secretary.

New York

The attention of the members of the subordinate Branches of the National Association of Letter Carriers in New York State is hereby respectfully called to the fine article in the February issue of the Postal Record written by National President Edward J. Gainor entitled, "State Associations." It is a convincing, inspiring, sensible and logical argument and reason for the continuation, expansion and growth of the State Associations. It answers fully and care

fully every argument that has ever been brought forward against the necessity for the State Associations. It is well written in a careful style, which shows that our National President has, indeed, given this matter his careful thought and study. And he says that his experience has shown him the ever-increasing necessity for State Associations, which aim to cover that wide field of endeavor which lies between the subordinate Branches and the great national organization.

It is well to remember that primarily the National Association of Letters Carriers is a fraternal organization. We may be prone to forget this because it deals so much with our trade or craft, and we are apt to have the complexion of the organization changed in our conception of it in an almost subconscious manner because of the fact that for the last few years it has at times resembled an army corps because of the unpleasant fights which have been forced upon us. But, primarily, we are yet a fraternal organization. There are undoubtedly thousands of good, loyal and hard-working members of our Association who have never and will never attend a national convention and thereby get the inspiration which one is bound to receive as a result. Of course, it is a practical impossibility for all of us to attend national conventions. It is also almost as hard for us all to get in touch with our national officers and in this manner get the personal good that results. But through the agency of the State Associations we can get together once in a while and talk over things which are near to our hearts. The State Associations hold their conventions within the confines of the State. That means one great thing-it gives the rank and file the opportunity to meet men from other cities; it gives them the chance to hear and meet the national officers, who are always at these State conventions; it teaches them to look on the National Association of Letter Carriers in a broader light; it means that they can attend a convention at less expense.

Under date of February 1 I mailed to every Branch in New York State an invitation to join the New York State Association. In it I tried in a brief way to show why they should join with us. Those letters were sent on an errand for the good of the letter carriers of this State, and if they are received in the right spirit and if the ideal which attempts to portray is given the consideration which all ideals honestly held should receive they will do their errand to the betterment of all letter carriers. They've done their work in many instances. Branches with only two members have answered the call for a 100 per cent organization. That is the right spirit. Paraphrasing Holy Writ where it says, "Where two or more gather together in My name there will I be also," we can say of the spirit of fraternity, "Where two or more gather together in the name of fraternity and mutual desire for advancement, there will fraternity be also," and the

good which will result if this spirit is shown throughout New York State will be of inestimable value to us all. Perhaps some of the Branch secretaries will throw the letters in the waste basket. Let me tell you who may do this that that won't do you a bit of good. You may as well answer first as last, because Joe Tinnelly and I have decided to get an answer from you all, and we'll do it. If you don't answer that one you'll get another and another one until you finally capitulate and enlist in

office Men, Says Hays." When we've enrolled every Branch in New York State in the New York State Association, we'll send Joe Tinnelly, of Albany, down to Washington with this message, "Mr. Hays, I represent every letter carrier in New York State. I've come down here for those men to tell you that those words sure do sound good to us. I'm instructed to tell you that you've got nothing on us in that partnership idea. We've been anxious and willing for years to hold out our right hands in good fellow

Texas

As President of the Texas State Association of the National Association of Letter Carriers, it is my duty to answer Brother H. L. Kuhlman's four questions in his article in February Postal Record:

First. Why a bonus of $100 for the city entertaining the next State convention?

At the State convention held July 4, 1918, at Corpus Christi, a resolution was passed to give $100 bonus

this work. We want to have a wonderful convention at Amsterdam. We want to get on the platform at that I convention and say, "Gentlemen, we have a 100 per cent organization in New York State." We like to hear applause, Joe and I, and the quality which acts as an alloy in this matter to soften down the metal of selfish pride is the alloy of service which we know we would be doing every letter carrier in the country if we succeed. I mean when we have succeeded.

In conclusion: As I write this I notice that the evening paper carries a headline which says, "He Wants to Form Partnership With 300,000 Post

ship to the Postmaster General, and here's mine, and that means the right hand of the letter carriers of the Empire State, a solid unit for fraternity, co-operation, friendliness and good fellowship." Joe'd get in, too. He's got the right kind of a chin. In case any of you have lost the letter I sent you, my address is, Care Brighton Postal Station, Rochester, N. Y. LEROY VAN DUSER, State Secretary.

Rochester, N. Y.

A bird in the office says he can tell the number of years of service a man has had by the size of the hump on his back. How about the bunions on his feet?

to the city entertaining the convention.

The purpose of this resolution was to encourage the smaller Branches that have only six or eight carriers to entertain the convention.

Brother Kuhlman was a delegate to the Waco convention, July 4 and 5, 1919, and will remember that the Waco carriers refused the $100 bonus.

A. H. F. Reiger, of Austin, was delegate to Fort Worth, July 5, 1920, and will remember that the Fort Worth carriers refused the $100 bonus also.

Second. Why not have the old election of the choice for the convention