New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-21
POSTAL REORGANIZATION.
IR. wANAMAKER's BUsINESs-LlKE CHANGES
IN HIS DEPARTMENT.
yHE FIRST ovERnAULISG IN MANY YEARS
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF RECON-
MENDATIoNs TO CONGRESS.

vHE FIRST ovERHAULIN6 IN MANY YEARS
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF RECON-
MENDATIoNs TO CONGRESS.
Washing ton, July 2o.-The Postmasteruehcra Y"
day issued the following:
Ordered That the following assignments III sne FosohSe
Department hereby made. 70 take enec' August =.
1881 and regulations Of the Department are
In conformity tiorewith; A.,
Frs,-The division OF correspondence. new under the
.uperyis,on OF the Assistant Is hsrepy
transferred the oice OF the Finst Assistant
General reservng however, ali correspondence hNos
construction postal laws and coniice oe'weeh s
laws and departmental regulations, which small W PA''
upon by the Assistant Attorney General
Second-rhe division OF appointments no" paf' " w,
ONCE OF the First Assistant Postmaster eneIa -
transferred to the office OF the Fourth Assistant
General who will thereafter charge ana conVol o'
the business devoved said division ana aso VI u0
appointment Of postmasters OF the fourth cass a' WV
preparation Of all for the appointment Oh -
II the first second and third classes III chai'so VI WV
de- ~ no.,ooe az the fourth class involves the employ
nent Of a mail messenger, or an allowance ior eNpe
AZ any kind 1t shall be subject TO the approval Oh Ve
Assistant POstnaster-Genera. -, m, =, ~.
Third-The bond division, now part OF 1no on0e VI w
first Assistant hereby assigned W e
once Of the Fourth Assistant VIM
hereafter have supervision and control OF I'LL INC
devolyed on said division. except hat 'he appiO'"
postInasters bonds will remain Win inc flIs' ASs
the Preparation OF SAID oohos luz
his approyA 70 devove the division OF appointments
Eour.h,rhe office Of Chief Inspector. Postohce DO
parnnt is hereby designated the division of Poeoco
inspectors ana mail dcpredatons, and assigned 70 e
once of the Fourth Assistant Posmastor-Genefal uo
business thereof to be conducted under the suPVson "
the Fourth Assistant Posrnaster'OenerA' a..
pifth-The dead letter office Is hereby aseieheu VIZ
onca q, the First Assistant Postmaster General "ho
IN ,oa,ar sunervtse and direct the business OF sau
ONCE ss he may see proper - ,,o.or
sixth-lhe ONCE Of the Superintendent Oh the Naos'
Order system is hereby assigned the Office OF tne
naral W
supervise direct the business OF said ONCE as 0 may
sevsnbThe Office Of the Superintendent Of Foreign MAILS
{, hereby assigned to the c1ce OF the Second A'Sn'
postmaster-G General who will thereafter supervise MI" ~
troll the business Of said Office as he may sec pp
Each Of Assistant Postnasters-Senerai heie 10 -
Is hereby invested with whatever power ana au~oiiV ~
necessary to make this operative and ehecVe' u
postnasters and all other postal officers ana epoys WI"
S Postmaster General.
At the PostoIce Department it is explained that the
order lust issued Is the consummauon vi uie HosV
master Generals desire, which he exprcssed LII HIS s'
annual report TO reorganize the departmental ioroe as
well as the postoice and transportation force outsuo
NJ the Department, on business lines. lie found al
the beginning Of his term, that here hau oooii io
general REORGANIZATION of the departmental force soo
the Office of Third Assistant PostmasterGeneral was
created many years ago; and that the new bureaus
created from time to tmc were performing their WORK
INDEPENDENTLY and without any particular reference to
the work OF the Department as whole. Many need
less details were forced upon the personal attenuoh VI
The PostmasterG eneral himself, and more than thau
Mr. Wanamaker found that the different bureaus "o
they were performing their work consclentousy were
not apprecating their relation 70 the methodcal ana
nrouressive whole which he hoped to make OF the
postal service and not only, therefore, were the va
ous bureaus falling somewhat to keep In touch WIN all
the qualifications OF the business and the immense
system therefore falling in some degree 10 progress
with the development Of tho country, out lie
himself had little for the thoughtful consideration
Of such policies as he believed misht aiiecV Iie "u
ministration and the country.
In his first annual report, Mr.. WanamaRer recon-
,nended the division Of the country into postal ostncS'
say twenty five thirty, that the best postal men
I'm these localities might have the supervision OF Vhe
SYSTEM cutting off needless routes putting on needed
ones saving money preventing irregularities ana
deprcdations, instead of waiting until the Offenders
should have been detected and in general, studying
the service with view Of improving it in all possible
details bie and little. In the report he
recommended the creation Of general officer, called
the Controller, who should be permanent sufficiently
sslared and the best al-round postal and business
man to be lad in the country Neither recommendation
was enacted into law but by the creation OF the ONCE
of Fourth Assistant and by the transfer OF some OF
the independent bureaus the POstmaster-General is
enabled practically bring about in part the state
of affairs which he had first desired. The changes
mean the better application OF business principles 10
the postal service Colonel Whitfield becomes tle
general executive officer The main duty OF the Fourth
Assistant Postmaster-Ge General Major Rathbone under
the new order of things, will be the control OF the
Inspectors force and the direction of the division OF
appointments. The familiarity OF Mr. Wheeler the new
chief inspector with the better class Of the inspection
work viii enable him 10 second Major RathbOne's
efforts make the postal service safer quicker and
more frequent.
An Illustration of the same purpose Is furnished by
the placing OF the bureau of foreign malls under the
Second Assistant. The Postmaster General desired to
consolidate all the transportation business of the De
partnent in one Office, and this attachment Of the
foreign mails bureau to the Second Assistants once
Is the last step in this direction. The wisdom Of Mr.
Wanamaers first step is shown by the fact that Mr..
Bell the second Assistant in his dealings behalf
of the Government with the great railways, has been
able TO secure greatly increased facilities and to shorten
largely the schedules Of time between great population
centres and that. too without consideration other than
that growing out Of the ordinary ways provided by
the statutes: aud it has been calculated that saving
of nearly 81 100000 year has been effected in the
transportation Of mails over the great trunk lines.
1t Is believed that the PostmaserGenera with this
reorganization feel complete security In the matter
OF the transaction Of the routine business of the De
paItment: and hereafter 10 an extent not before
possible address himself to the important questions of
departmental policy with the certainty that when
adopted by him, they VIII be ZealOusy and efficiently
ariied out by the staff under his Charge.