The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-11
LESS COST AND
BETTER SERVICE
Report of the Joint Commits
sion Appointed to Investigate
the POStOffiCe Department.
SOME SUGGESTIONS MADE
POLITICS TOO APPARENT AT
PRESENT..


day received a preliminary report of
the joint commission appointed during
the last congress to investigate the
business methods OF the postoffice de-
partment and postoffice service and
submit recommendations for legisla-
ton 10 effect changes in their admin
istration. The commission. consisting
of Senators Penrose, Carter and Clay,
and Representatives Overstreet, Gard
ner of New Jersey and Moon, points
out many Objectionable methods of
both departments. Among the recon-
mendations is plan to place the actual
direction of the business of the post
office department under the service of
an officer. with necessary assistants to
be appointed by the president "by and
with the advice and consent of the
senate" for long terms, so as TO in
sure the continuance of efficient serv-
ice. Under the plan the postmaster
general, as. a member of the cabinet,
is chargeable with general supervisory
control and the determination of ques-
tiOns of policy.
The commission also recommends
that the business of the department be
decentralized so as to avoid the conges-
tiOn at the national capital which i'm
pairs the efficiency and increases the
cost of the service; that the bookkeep-
ing. auditing and accounting be sim
plified, unified and centralized to Sc
cure greater accuracy. more prompt
methods and elimination of duplication
of work; and that the practice of re-
quiring needless detailed reports from
small pOstOffices be discontinued. The
moderate application of the MONACO
counting system to small offices will
eliminate about 10000, or nearly one
half. of all the postoffice accounts from
the present complex report and book
keeping system, or would at least
greatly simplify the same.
Argument Unnecessary.
The commission SAYS:
1T appears too obvious to require
argument that the most efficient serv-
ice can never be expected as long as
the direction of the business is as at
present, entrusted to a postmaster
general and certain assistants selected
without special reference to eXpedience
and qualifications and subject to fire.
quent change. Under such a system a
large railroad, commercial or Industrial
business would evitably go into bank
ruptcy, and the postofice department
has averted that fate only because the
United States treasury has been avail
able to meet deficiencies"
Submitted with the report of the
commission is a report of considerable
volume from two New York account
ing firms who were assigned to the in
vestigatiOn of the department by the
commission last May.
Suggestions Made.
The following is a summary of the
more important suggestions made in
the report of the examiBers:
That the offices of toe first, second,
third and fourth pOstmasters general
be abolished. and that a director of
posts be appointed at salary suffi-
cient to attract the best administrative
talent in the country, and that he be
given sole charge of the operations of
the department and service, subject
only to the control in matters of policy
of the postmaster general as a cab
met officer: that assistant directors be
appointed to take charge of the main
operating divisions of the service post
offices, transportation, appointments,
chasing agent and supplies); that the
comptroller should be in charge of the
whole accounting for the department
and service, and that the duties of the
auditor be limited to an auditor of all
the accounts in the proper sense of the
word; that all postoffices not doing a
money order business be treated as
''nOn-accounting Offices" and that
fixed supply of stamps, etc, be sup
piled to them to be replenished from
neighbOring accounting offices in eX
change for cash or its equivalent; that
district offices be created at conven-
lent points throughout the country, or
ganiZed in miniature on the same lines
as the department in Washington,
which would supervise the whole of the
work in their districts, under the d-
rection of responsible officials: that the
director of posts and the assistant di-
rectors form an advisory board to meet
several times a week and discuss i'm
pOrtant questions as they may arise,
and that a similar advisory board be
created at each district office; that the
pOstmasters' accounts for postal and
money order transactions. heretofore
kept separately, be merged; that pro-
motions be based on merit and a
scheme devised for retiring many of
hot liability