COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICES AND POST ROADS LAWRENCE C. PHIPPS, Colorado. KENNETH MCKELLAR, Tennessee. LYNN J. FRAZIER, North Dakota. HANDLING AND RATE OF PAY FOR STORAGE OF CLOSED-POUCH POST OFFICE MAIL MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1926 UNITED STATES SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call of the chairman of the subcommittee, at 10.30 o'clock a. m., in the committee room, Capitol, Senator Lawrence C. Phipps (Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Phipps (presiding) and lease. Also present: Senator C. C. Dill of Washington. Senator PHIPPS (presiding). The committee will come to order. This hearing is on Senate bill 2297, introduced by Senator Dill for the purpose of providing for handling and rate of pay for storage of closed-pouch mail on express cars, baggage cars, and express-baggage cars. (The bill, S. 2297, is here printed in full as follows:) [S. 2297, Sixty-ninth Congress, first session] A BILL To provide for handling and rate of pay for storage of closed-pouch mail on express cars, baggage cars, and express-baggage cars, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after thirty days following the passage of this act the Postmaster General shall place at least one employee of the railway post-office service in all baggage cars, express cars, and expressbaggage cars of any railroad company in which more than seven feet of space are rented for the storage and handling of United States mail, and the Postmaster General shall pay to the railroad company for the carriage of said mail in accordance with rates paid for the space of railway post-office service. SEC. 2. Where less than seven feet of space of any baggage car, express car, or express-baggage car is rented for storage or closed-pouch mail service, the railroad company carrying said mail shall pay to the baggage or express employees having it in charge 50 per centum of the extra compensation received by the railroad company for such closed-pouch or storage space as compared with the compensation received for railway post-office space. SEC. 3. The Postmaster General shall and is hereby directed to immediately cancel all existing contracts in conflict with the foregoing provisions and enter into new ones in conformity therewith. SEC. 4. The Interstate Commerce Commission is hereby authorized and directed to enforce the provisions of this act. Senator PHIPPS. We are ready to proceed if you will indicate what witnesses you desire to have heard. STATEMENT OF HON. C. C. DILL, SENATOR IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON Senator DILL. I might make a short statement. I introduced this bill because of a practice that has grown up on the railroads of placing rather large amounts of mail on express and baggage cars and on some railroads when the express men or baggage men fail to put off the mail sacks at the proper places they are fined a certain amount. They have no designation as mail clerks; they have no connection whatever with the Government. They are simply express and baggage employees. Senator PHIPPS. Well, may I ask if it is a regulation different from that which would apply to cases where they neglect or overlook discharging a piece of baggage or express matter? Senator DILL. I understand this applies only to cases of failing to put off this locked-pouch mail. Senator PHIPPS. They are fined for not discharging the lockedpouch mail, but would not be fined if they failed to put off an express package? Senator DILL. That is a matter that I would have to let some one else answer here, Senator, but it was presented directly to me as a matter of mail service. I took the matter up by letter with the presidents of the railroads, particularly in the Northwest, where this was practiced a great deal, and also with the presidents of the express companies, and each one put the responsibility on somebody else. Then I took it up with the Post Office Department and they put it back on the railroads. So I introduced the bill to bring the matter to a head and get the facts before some committee of Congress, and I provide in the bill that if they use more than seven feet of space, in other words, seven feet of space is not enough space to be so serious, but when they get more than seven feet the amount of mail sometimes runs quite high for the men to handle. I shall let the representatives of the expressmen and baggagemen here this morning tell the story more in detail than I can. Senator PHIPPS. Yes. Senator, you are aware of the fact that a bill similar to this is under consideration by the House committee? Senator DILL. I understand that a House bill has been introduced practically identical with this and being considered there. Senator PHIPPS. Yes. Senator DILL. Mr. Badley. STATEMENT OF ERNEST V. BADLEY, VICE GRAND PRESIDENT EXPRESS DIVISION BROTHERHOOD OF RAILWAY AND STEAMSHIP CLERKS, FREIGHT HANDLERS, EXPRESS AND STATION EMPLOYEES, CHICAGO Senator PHIPPS. Will you state your name, your address and occupation for the record. Mr. BADLEY. Ernest V. Badley, 404 Transportation Building, Chicago. Vice grand president Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express, and Station Employees. Mr. Chairman, as negotiating officer of the employees in their schedules with the American Railway Express Co. we have had this matter up in the form of grievances and cases made where we en |