The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-12-05
A BUSINBSSLIKE REPORT.
wANAMAKER ON THE GOVERNMENT MAIL SER
VICE


In his report to the President, Postmaster
General Wanamaker begins by commenting on
the great WORK the PoStofce Department is ex-
pected to perform and the fact that the people
want the system administered With Such Ell
cheney and economy that it shall offer IL em
more and more accommodations and tax them
less and less. The only method can suggest
saws Mr. Wanamaker, by which all their desires
nay be gratifled, is not merely TO talk ABOUT the
application of business principles to the depart
ment; it is really to apply them. 1T is not TO
work in poor quarters; it is not to transport
mails afoot when they should go in railroad
trains; it is not to tolerate disloyal or listless
employees if better ones can be had: it is not,
finally, to keep unwillingly abreast RI the times
1t is always to lead the times
The Postmaster General then complains tnaI
the four higher Officials are overwhelmed and
unable to do the WORK in a proper manner. Says
continues the Postoffice Department can never
do it's best work. Important matters are de-
ferred for days because the superiitehdents anu
chief officers cannot move on from sheer force
of circumstances preventing Ins6ructons. NO
matter how enterprising and loyal these super
intendents are, they do not have falr chance
The service will never be vitalized for its high
est COOL and compacted for the right kind or
aggressive work until the burdens Of these i'm
port OH Gals are partly unloaded upon some
other officer.
what is needed first is fourth assistant
postm aster general. to be in direct charge OF the
great divisions of the railway mall the foreign
mail the money order office. the egistry ana
supplies divisions and the dead letter office
Transferring these departments from super
vision which is now only nominal ana giving
them in charge of the fourth assistant poSTnds
ter general would be a vast advantage rms is
not a | ling to the cost. but adding revenue Nv
gaining the direction of one guiding oraln IN
these important arms of the service. tout or
the once of the first assistant postmaster gen
er II all duties exec t those OF Surviving men for
aDDoiutment, est abliShing offices changing sites,
examining re PORTS of Inspectors, end taking
care of the bond division This will always be
enough for this ofci ii to attend to-
NEW OFFICER WANTED.
Create new place ana fini the best educated
DOStaJ in the service at the GOSGO1lc0 De-
D art ert or il any of tine $1,000 postofices and
M Se him tine general mana ger. No great bust
II, ost ,h,is ,oent can succeed that chan res its
PRINCIPAL off1eer once in fifteen months There
on ght to be one perfectly educated postal M an
char gef with the general m anagement, whose
controlling mind and firm grasp should remain
while others come and go dns6e eo va OF a Sz.zoo
clerk alOttins annually S22.WO,O0O ana neceS-
,rlv delaye decisions in the different offices
regardi II questions affecting carriers and CLERKS
and extensions of the service ana the thousdndS
of details connected with the daily routine OF
the postofices throughout the United states
touching the welfare of millions of people Trans
fer the oversight of the salaries and allowance
division and the free delivery system, and many
of the duties devolving upon the hrSt asslS-
tant 10 a general m inager. who in imparting
pronptness throu ghout the service would earn
his salary i've times over 10 enllSt ana reIaln
the services of ID lnan of the ability required,
would necessit ate the payment of large salary.
Ten Thousand dollars per year w uld not ne TOO
mucu to pay TO tine right nan- He snould ne
appointed by the President for ten years. sub
iact to removal at any time if not equal to the
WORK. / would have this place the apex OF the
whole postal service. the am ION OF every s.i-
perintendent OF a bureau, chlef lnsnecGor' vi,
vision net 1, or postmaster. and similarly. ana
not too rem Jtely, the ambition of every active,
or aative m IN i'll the service
POSTAL DISTRICTS RECOMMENDED.
Ipropose taat there be twenty-sx postal q
trcts established by the Postmaster General &C
corlins to population and territory, eacn once
in th4- district to be visited at stated times and
rec Dris N tde and kept, showing, f1rst, the ca,
pacltv OF the postmaster; second, MS personai
attention to his duties the order and discipline
nf r p,ffisa a md fnur.th.
mess, with sucn other III ttters as may pe deter,
mined on. The postnasters of the presidential
classes in such districts should be CLASSIFIED INTO
three grales namely: 49, to be marked
'.highest;" 7..B." marked ''excellent; ana y,
markell fair" and all under the low marx TO
be reported for su action as the dspaI tneno
NAV deem proper To take. Ihose W no receive
the high s marking ought to De reported TO giie
President for honorable mention ana prefer
ment 'rHe slperv )rs would have to ne expe,
rien led in t re Postal Laws and Regulations ana
to De sesSed of emil uSiaSm for the pef1ecJlon
o. tue system, INSTRUCT the postnaSterS ana
clerks, point out possible improvements IN the
Offices and enlarge the business: to ascertain
aud keen the Postmaster General continually
advise /. in short. exactly what the poStnasters
an clerks are doing for the salaries received,
and exactly how the people or each community
are satisfied with the postal service
All these supervisors should report to an ON
higher education of the whole postal estaplish,
ment. That man himself should be at the head
OF a model poStoffice-the poStofdce OF the CITY
of Washington, which should be domiciled in
the Postofflce Department building ana shoulo
become the high school. as 1t were, TOT bhe posi-
masters new and old from all over the coun-
try, who visit the captil. Here the VARIABLE
mails of Congress and the executive depart art
ments would be handled with greater Safe1y
and care The post Master of the city, without
Increasing the eXpe s. OF the department.
might readily become The fifth assistant post
master general, in charge also OF the education
al and civil service work in the entire service
and it's thousands OF postOff1ces
LIMITED POSTAL TELEGRAPH.
The Postmaster General is of the opinion that
the entire postal business in Washington should
be conducted under one roof, and he, therefore
recommends that commission be appointed
by Congress to select site and forthwith pur-
new building in which to consolidate the bureaus
of the department and the city postofhce.
The history of the trouble with the western
Union TELEGRAPH Company is then related, ana
the Postmaster General says he was more than
disappOinted in that his negotiations did not
lead to scheme which he had in view, whereby
the people at large could have the beneht OF
telegraphfc service at popular rates. Said ne
att is stated that the merchants, bankers ano
newspapers are now the principal customers Oh
Che telegraph companies in this country Inc
statistics of the Geographic system or the En-
gIish government show that a large proportion
Of the customers 40 per cent. Is stated by some
MESA ges, and not from business sources: wife
a lower telegraphic rate. and with statlons al
the windows of the pOStoffceS, to Whlcn ladles
are accustomed, an entirely new class OF pus
ness would grow VI, affording great convenience
to many not now in the habit of using the wires
The telegraph is defined to be an instrumentfoI
conveying intelligence beyond the limits OF DIS
milton would apply equally toithe Postof1ice, and
ic fact the object for which the pCStOff1ce was