Therefore I propose to approach the thing from several angles and by a process of elimination finally hunt the animal to its hole.

As to the shortcomings which may exist in the Postal Service, I venture the assertion that the American dollar goes further in the purchase of postal service to-day than ever before. A comparison of the power of the dollar in the purchase of any necessity in the 80's, when the 2-cent rate was first established, will show the relative value.

Flour was then costing around $4 a barrel as against $7 now; potatoes 50 cents a bushel as against $1.80; wheat 80 cents a bushel as against $1.42, and the average pay of a laborer then was less than $2 per day.

Having these comparisons in mind, consider, if you please, that we are still operating on the 2-cent rate of postage, as in the 80's. It is true that during the war the rates were increased to 3 cents, but they have since gone back to 2 cents, as you know.

I have ventured upon a large subject, and I can not hope to cover it all. I am not prepared as yet to touch upon any other scope of the subject of the operating deficit. As I have pointed out, the budget is not balanced, apparently, the pay of postal clerks does not depend entirely on the balancing of the budget. However, we propose in the department to do our best to lop off any unnecessary expenses.

I thank you for your patient listening, and hope to meet you all personally. [Great applause, the delegates rising.]

The association's proposal for the payment of compensatory time on one of the five working days following the Saturday of service for all services in excess of four hours required of postal employees, was first introduced in the House by Congressman David J. O'Connell of New York.

The House Post Office Committee to whom this bill was referred after careful deliberation directed its chairman to favorably report same with recommendations that it be passed. It is most unfortunate, however, that owing to the great press of business during the closing days of the Seventieth Congress this meritorious proposal was lost. On April 15, 1929, Congressman O'Connell reintroduced this proposal which is now before you, and is known as H. R. 167, together with H. R. 2898, by Mr. Mead, and H. R. 6603, by Mr. Kendall

The Saturday half holiday is a question that is most difficult to find an argument against. In all walks of life, in all industries, and in all enterprises the fact is recognized that the employee who has reasonable time for recreation and recuperation renders the very best service and in fact converts the expense incurred by the grant ng of the shorter workday on Saturday into an actual profit to the employer. Thus it will be found that the practice has become almost universal and in fact the number of establishments who permit their employees to be free all day Saturday also is rapidly approaching the stage where it, too, can be termed almost universal.

In view of the facts hereinbefore recited, and because of the inate merit and reasonableness of this proposal to extend to the postal workers the opportunity for respite and recreation that is so almost universally enjoyed by the working people of the Nation, the association very earnestly and very respectfully petitions your honorable committee to give this proposal your approval and to do everything possible to persuade your colleagues in the House of Representatives to enact it into law within the shortest possible time. Respectfully submitted.

C. P. FRANCISCUS,

President United National Association of Post Office Clerks. STATEMENT OF THOMAS F. DOLAN, VICE PRESIDENT UNITED NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POST OFFICE CLERKS

Mr. DOLAN. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I am from Boston, Mass. My name is Thomas F. Dolan, national vice president and secretary-treasurer of the Massachusetts State Branch, United National Association of Post Office Clerks; also an employee at the Boston, Mass., post office for 27 years.

The membership which it is my pleasure to represent is very much interested in certain bills which are now receiving your earnest consideration.

One of these bills which deeply concerns them will grant the privilege of a Saturday 4-hour day." The features embodied in the Kendall bill (H. R. 6603) are quite satisfactory to our membership, and as well, give ample protection, in emergencies, by virtue of those portions which provide for payment of time worked in excess of four hours on Saturday, on one of the five following working days.

From my personal observations such time off as is now allowed on Saturday, which averages less than one hour, costs nothing. A greater allotment of such time off on Saturday to a larger portion of the employees would not be the occasion of much additional expense when measured by the increased happiness and morale of the Postal Service. As a matter of fact, much of the expense occasioned thereby would be absorbed by the crew remaining on duty, as I am positive, from actual experience, that they would be encouraged to put greater effort into their work and would do so. Saturday half-holidays, and even in many instances full holidays, are becoming rather the rule than the exception.

We are also hopeful of the enactment of a bill, such as H. R. 1228, which will guarantee a minimum of 30 hours per week to substitutes, depending wholly in many instances upon the assignments of a small portion of the day's work, oftentimes undesirable tours, with dependents who look to them for sustenance and a decent livelihood; in larger cities receiving assignments of but two hours a day at the peak period from 5.30 p. m. to 7.30 p. m., which compensate but little when extra car fare and an extra meal away from home is the rule; these and other hardships in the life of a substitute make imperative such legislation as will guarantee them a more certain and regular source of income.

H. R. 3087, which would give to substitutes annual leave similar to that enjoyed by regular employees has our approval as well. Substitutes are subject to call whenever the need requires, whether on full-time assignments or partial assignments and are in every sense of the word on duty 365 days a year.

We feel that the passage of these bills is fully justified, and it is our sincere hope that your earnest and favorable action will be instrumental in their early enactment into law. I thank you.

STATEMENT OF GEORGE S. BOEHM, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, NATIONAL SECRETARY UNITED NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POSTOFFICE CLERKS

Mr. BоEнм. My name is George S. Boehm and I am employed in the post office at Cincinnati, Ohio. I am national secretary of the United National Association of Post-Office Clerks. I have had 29 years' service as a post-office clerk.

I heartily indorse the Kendall bill (H. R. 6603) granting compensatory time for all work performed in excess of four hours on Saturday. A half holiday on Saturday is fast becoming a universal custom. In my humble opinion based on many years of observation, especially in the Cincinnati office, and from observation of clerks in other offices as imparted to me, the quantity of mail on Saturday as a rule is light compared to other days. The peak hours in the mailing division as a rule are from 5 to 8 in the evening. On Satur

day the heavy mailing is in the early afternoon, and as business houses and offices working only in the forenoon can not prepare the same quantity of mail they do in a full day, consequently the amount of mail is lighter. Many of the clerks could be relieved after completing four hours of duty. A rearrangement of the tours of duty for the post-office clerks on Saturday would allow more clerks to be relieved from duty after performing four hours of service. The mail on some days is usually lighter than on some other days and compensatory time can be allowed on those days when the mail is lighter without any additional cost to the Government. In Cincinnati it has been customary to allow clerks and carriers time off on Saturdays under the regulations of the Post Office Department and I believe that more time could be allowed under present regulations without additional cost by the rearrangement of the tours of duty of the clerks on Saturday. However, under the present regulations, the time off allowed to the clerks is not uniform. In some divisions it may be two hours every Saturday, in some three hours or one hour every Saturday. In other divisions and at stations it may be two or three hours every other Saturday and in some cases no time off on Saturday is allowed under present regulations. It is because of this lack of uniformity and the inequalities that we ask you gentlemen to consider and to present to Congress a favorable report on the Kendall bill (H. R. 6603) so that all post-office employees may be uniformly treated. The experiences of the past, where the estimates of cost as submitted before the passage of the bills were always excessively greater than the actual cost of the operation of law, indicates that the actual cost of the operation of this bill will be very much less than the estimate submitted.

I also desire to state my hearty indorsement of the Hogg bill (H. R. 1228), guaranteeing 30 hours per week to the substitute postoffice clerks. In many, especially the larger offices, too many substitutes or auxiliary clerks are carried on the roll, in my humble opinion. Again I refer to the Cincinnati office where about 140 substitute and auxiliary clerks are carried on the rolls. Many of these clerks are employed for two hours only per day to assist in caring for the peak load of the mailing in the evening. Many of these clerks are dependent upon their earnings as substitutes as they do not hold outside positions. As all of these clerks are in line for promotion to a regular clerical position it necessarily prolongs the time required for the last man appointed to reach the head of the list from whence he is promoted to the position of a regular clerk. I believe that an effort is now being made to reduce the number of substitute clerks in Cincinnati. Unless something not now apparent occurs, it will be four or five or more years before the last man will reach the goal of appointment of a regular clerk. Without some relief being afforded many of these men will not be able to carry on to the end and must separate from the service because they can not exist on their weekly post-office earnings. With a less number of substitutes they would receive more hours of work per week, which is the meritorious object of the Hogg bill (H. R. 1228).

Substitute post-office clerks are entitled to some benefits given to post-office clerks by law because substitute clerks were mentioned in

the bills that were enacted into law. They do not share in the benefits of the law that gives to postal employees 15 days leave of absence with pay annually or the annual sick leave of 10 days. As they are post-office employees just as are other post-office employees they should have been mentioned in the bills enacted into law. The Kelly bill (H. R. 3087) seeking to correst these omissions by granting to substitute employees leave of absence with pay or vacation and sick leave as already allowed to other post-office employees in proportion to the number of hours of service performed during the fiscal year; I want to record my hearty indorsement of this just and equitable measure.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen of the committee, and hope that you will report favorably upon these bills and that they may soon be enacted into law.

STATEMENT OF PATRICK J. O'NEILL, TREASURER OF THE UNITED NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POST-OFFICE CLERKS, PHILADELPHIA, PA.

Mr. O'NEILL. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. I want to heartily indorse any bill which will make the Saturday half holiday, for postal employees mandatory. All of the members of my organization appreciate the action of the Postmaster General in authorizing all postmasters to grant a short Saturday whenever and wherever possible. However, this order does not make it mandatory on the postmaster and this has resulted in over half of the postmasters refusing to grant any time off on Saturday. Some of these postmasters are too timid, others do not believe in.it and by their actions nullify the order of the Postmaster General. Twentyfive per cent of the postal employees get 3 hours off on Saturday, per cent get 2 hours off, while 50 per cent get no time off.

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I listened attentively to the testimony of the Postmaster General and his associates in the department as to the probable cost of the Kendall bill, H. R. 6603, and while they may feel that their figures are correct I feel that they failed to account for the human element which should always be considered when computing the cost of such a measure. I believe the fact that any human being can maintain a greater relative speed over a period of 4 hours than over a period of 8 hours is beyond dispute. Therefore, it is my humble opinion that if this bill is enacted into law these employees, by maintaining a greater relative speed, not only on Saturday but also through the week, will absorb nearly all, if not all, of the estimated cost of this bill.

I would like at this time to make a brief statement in support of the bill introduced by Congressman Hogg, of Indiana, H. R. 1228, and which grants to substitutes a guarantee of 30 hours per week. I do not believe this bill will cost the Government 1 penny if the various postmasters carry out the wishes of First Assistant Postmaster General Coleman. Mr. Coleman has issued orders that only such substitutes as are needed shall be carried on the rolls. It is a well-known fact that most of the first and second class post offices carry so many substitutes that it is impossible to give them all work.

I feel sure that if this bill is passed it will remedy this condition as no postmaster will care to have this time charged against his office if he is unable to use the substitutes. Under present conditions these substitutes are reporting at all hours of the day and night with no assurance of obtaining any work and they are positively working all year round for starvation wages. When you take into consideration the fact that these employees must work as substitutes for periods ranging from three to six years before being appointed to a regular position and most of them are trying to maintain a home on the meager wages they earn I am sure you will agree that something should be done to alleviate the condition of these substitutes. I therefore ask your unprejudiced judgment of this bill and the Saturday half holiday bill and hope you will see fit to report them favorably and strongly urge their enactment into law. I thank you, Mr. Chairinan and members of the committee, for your courtesy and attention. STATEMENT OF JAMES T. O'MALLEY, CHAIRMAN OF ADVISORY BOARD, UNITED NATIONAL ASSOCIATION POST OFFICE CLERKS

Mr. O'MALLEY. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, my name is James T. O'Malley, chairman of advisory board of the United National Association of Post Office Clerks.

I am a clerk in the mailing division of the St. Louis post office. I entered the service in July, 1894. The Saturday half holiday is generally observed by business houses, offices, and factories in St. Louis. With the exception of department-store employees, postal workers are the only large class that are denied the Saturday half holiday. The need for a uniform law governing Saturday time off was forcibly brought out by a survey made last August by the ad-. visory board of the United National Association of Post Office Clerks. One hundred letters were sent out to secretaries of our branches scattered throughout the country requesting information on the Saturday half holiday as now applied in those offices. Ninetytwo answers were received. Of those offices having short Saturdays 31 reported all divisions getting equal time off, while 38 of them reported inequalities, the night workers as a rule getting the least benefit. Twenty-three branches reported getting no time off at all.

The number of short Saturdays and total of hours granted vary so widely that it seems each office is a law unto itself. Some get as little as 8 hours a year, with short Saturdays in July and August. Others get 48 shorts, with 2, 3, or 4 hours off. In some offices where clerks work full time the letter carriers get time off, and as might be expected, this causes dissatisfaction and a feeling of injustice to the clerical force.

Unquestionably the greatest factor in Saturday time off is the temperament of the postmaster and supervisors. Where they are of a liberal and progressive tendency the fact is apparent in the extent and equitable division of time allowed. On the other hand, we have the stand-pat type of official who works along the lines of least resistance and is indifferent or unwilling to accept responsibility; in his office or division time allowance is sure to be at a minimum.

Our branches are a unit in the belief that a Saturday half holiday law is the only solution of the question. In urging such a law I