Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-22
HANDLING THE MAILS
Report Of First Assistant Postmaster
General Heath.
GREAT NEED OF SPECIAL AGENTS
Progress of the Rural Free Delivery
System.
LETTER CARRIERS BONDS

lie today 1t contains many important
recommendations fer the Improvement of
| the postal service, which, it is believed,
| will not only greatly facilitate the hand
ling of the mails. but will be accompanied
by decided. economies The report is one
of the most thorough that has ever been
issued from the Office of the first assistant
| postmaster general. Mr.. Heath's report
opens with summary of his recommen-
| dations, as follows:
I'm presenting to you my first annual
| report. being for the fiscal year ended June
80, 1897, 1 desire to emphasize certain
| recommendations intended to further adj
| vance the usefulness of the general postal
| service. All of these recommendations pro-
pose improvements. accompanied by actual
economies. 1t is my special ambition to
| apply modern business methods not only
| to each extension of the service within my
| jurisdiction, but to such of the old estab-
| lishments as will admit of advancement.
| While there has been under each ad-
m1niStratton an earnest effort to keep pace
with private business methods in this pub
| lie SERVICE was early impressed upon
| assuming the duties. of this office that the
result was in most instances a saving at
| the spigot with waste at the bung and
| that the tendency. was to give greater at
tention to inexpensive economies than to
| large advantages which would accrue to
1
| may have been due in measure to condi-
| tons for which executive officers were not
| always to blame-rather a lack of fixed
purpose in the detail and determined ap-
| plication, and the. absence of legislative
support of such purposes as may have been
from time to time fixed.
Without additional facilities. you will
ma reported in the various divisions many
important improvements recently effected
and requests for means with which to de-
reiop others in anticipation. I would direct
your special attention to certain recon-
mendations to be found under the heading
of salaries and allowances. The assistance
of Congress should here be especially in
vokedss Although more money is expended
in this division than any other of the de-
partment. excepting that of transportation
of the mails, ,and albeit the most modern
business methods are here required for the
purpose OF COPING successfully with the
best commercial ingenuity in the adjust
ment of salaries and allowances and the
execution of leases and contracts no faciIi-
ties worthy of mention have been added
wlth1n many years This in spite of the
DIVISION and with greater frequency, more
legislators than any other in the postal
service. ...,,,.>..-- ~ :.
Special Agents Needs.
II would put above all other recommen-
datfons, and emphasize with all the power
OF my language, the request for such spe-
clal agents as aresneeessary to inquire, in
thc HSiu, liilO tHe HleTllS OF DOStmaSterS'
acquisitions and demands, and to reach a
just ascertainnent of merit In such purely
business questions as cannot be determined
by correspondence. Longer to refuse this
request would be-; to disregard all sound
rules Of business. and be totally deaf to
every entreaty for the interests of both the
government, and the people. We must have
small corps OF men-about ten in num-
ber-who have the especial ability, both
native and acquired, to perform work now
left uIidone The men who might under
the prevailing rules and regulations be
made available for these services = the
regular post Office inspectors-have not
been schooled in this isolated line OF ser
vice, and can render therein practically no
assistance, even though they had the time
at their disposal to give to the work. These
men should be expert accountants and
familiar with real estate values Vast
| sums of money cam be saved through the
services of these men and great improve
! ments effected. I beg Of you TO lay par
| ticular stress upon this recommendation In
whatever appeals may be. made to Con-
gress in behalf of the department.
There should also be fixed more se-l
| we're penalty for the punishment of post
| masters who peddle postage stamps with
View to increasing their own salaries, re-
! sulting in the dimnution Of the net re-
eeipts of the government.
The recommendation that authority
| should be given to secure leases for
| period of ten instead of five years is IN my
opinion, exceedingly important. The great
| advantages derived by the commercial COM
| munity Immediately surrounding post office
sites will induce property owners in a
| larger degree than at present to lease suit
| able quarters for post offices at a nominal
| figure, provided there can be a longer
guarantee of the advantages of the loca-
| ton. 1t is estimated that about 20 per cent
| of the leases drawn for post offices pay but
the nominal price of 81 per year each, on
| account of the competition between prop
| erty owners, the desirability of securing the
| location. and it is believed that this per
| centage may be considerably augmented by
authorizing leases, under certain adVantaS-
eous conditions, to be drawn for period OF
ten instead of limited to five years
$50 much Is gained by our recent poncy
| of consolidation of post ofnces ana tue es-
Establishment or extension of the free de-
| livery, entailing a saving in postmasters
salaries while improving the service, but
enlarging the expense for clerks and letter
carriers, that l would urge such action by
Congress is necessary to give us, under
certain conditions, greater latitude or dis
c,etion in the use of specific appropriations
By making appropriations, under certain
| conditions convertible or available for
other expenses, every advantage offered
| can be accepted Competition always af-
| fCrds the minimum of prices II the de-
partment is not compell ID to act at given
| time. There is no such thing as combl-
nation to advance prices If we are given
sufficient discretion to defer action until
/ the opportunity for a combination has
passed.
This is especially applicable to appro-
! prations made for the division of post
Office supplies. where immense economies
| and improvements have been effected dur
| ing the past six months. We have secured
| uniformly lower prices and better grades
| of goods and provided for a more equitable
distribution safeguards against the re-
| ceipt of undergrade materials, and their
economical and speedy dispatch to the
| pest offices: If provision were made for
| the application OF ,the9 excess in an appro-
| priation for one HEM 40 the necessities in
| other lines, thereqsy encouraging economies
and aiding Improvements. this division
would have opportunity to further improve
| the service in evesy direction without adj
ditional cost. 3 eG 49,
while encomiarns !thave been heaped
| upon the departaient'for very recent inn
| provements mades in Il the canceling of
| stamps, postmarkins and the back-stamp-
| ing of letters, and-the~work has proved the
| best investment Ira spall way of any I'M
| der our direction, we find ourselves help
| less to continue the progress without Great
| Ing q deficiencysfof (which we have no
authority. There 1hayet been economies in
kindred brancheAngf nthe service which
CT Gated SURPRISES amply sufficient to carry
forward this work II there was authority
| given.
IT place especial emphasis upon the rec