The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-02-11
COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS SAYS
PosToFFlcEs ARE OUT or
DATE AND AhT,ouATEp.
SUGGESTS CHANGE
Entire orsanixationr Of the Depart
ment and Of the Service shou,a be
Altered, Cumbersome Methods ;ois,
pensed With and Efficiency Made
Keynote Of the Department.

washington. Feb. 10.:-Congress to
day received a preliminary report o1
the joint commission appointed dur
ing the last congress tos$inyestigate
the business methods Of the postoflce
department and postofaces ana submit
Recommendations for legislation to et
feet changes in their administration.
The commission. consisting Of Sen
ators Penrose. Carter and Clay and
Representatives Overstreet, Gardner
y New Jersey and Moon, points out
many object ctionable Y methods II both
departments. Among the recommend.
adonA .is q plan to place the actual di:
rectton Of the business Of the post.
Office department under the service 81
an officer. with necessary assistants.
to be appointed BY the president :.by
and with the advice aud consent of
the senate1 for long terms; 80 as to
insure the continuance Of enicient
service, Under the plan the. post
master general, as member 81 the
cabinet, is chargeable with general SUI
pervisory control and the determine
ton 81, questions of policy.
The, commission also recommends
that the business OF the department be
centralized, SO as to avoid the. con-
gestion at the national ONCE which i'm
pairs the efficiency and increases the
cost Of the service; that the bookkeep-
Ing. auditing and accounting be sim.
plifled, unified and centralized, to se-
cure ). greater accuracy and more
prompt methods and elimination OF
duplication Of work. and that the prac-
tice Of requiring needless detailed re-
ports from small postofices be disoon.
tinued.
Simplify Books.
The moderate application Of the
non-accounting system to small Offices
will eliminate about 10000. Or nearly
one-half Of all the postohice accounts
from the present complex report and
bookkeeping systems, and would at
least greatly simplify the same. The
commission says: ~ 8. i
's1t appesra too obvious. that y the
most efficient service can never be ex-
pected as long as the direction Of the
business is. % at present, entrusted to
q postmaster general and certain a.
sistants. elected without special refer
ence to efficiency and qualifications
and subject to frequents changes. un-
der such q system . large: railroad,
commercial or; industrial business
would eventually go into bankruptcy.
and the postoflce department has
averted that fate only because the
United States treasury has been await
able to, meet:the deficiencies" .S-T'
Submitted with the report OF the
commission Is . report. OF consider
Able volume from two New York ac-
counting Arms who we're assigned to
the Investigation Of the department
by the commission last May.
Tho Recommendation.
The following ID /. summary Of the
more important suggestions made in
the report OF the examiners:
That the of1ces of the first, second,
third and fourth postmasters general
be abolished and that q director Of
posts be appointed at salary suffi-
cient to attract the best administra'
tive talent in the country, and that he
be given sole charge Of the operation
Of the department and service, subject
only to the control In matters Of pol
Icy Of the postmaster general as 9
cabinet officer; that assistant directors
be appointed to. take, charge Of the
main operating divisions Of the serv-
Ice (postofaces, transportation, APP
appointments, finance, comptroller. in
spection, purchasing agent and sup
plies); that the comptroller should be
m charge OF the whole accounting OF
the department and service, and that
the duties Of the auditor be limited to
an audit Of all the accounts in the
proper sense Of the word; that all
postoflces not doing a money order
business be treated as monaco count
ing oflces," and that a dxed supply Of
stamps. ETC.. be supplied TO them to be
replenished from neighboring account
ing onlces In exchange for cash or its
equivalent; that district Offices be ere
aAed at convenient points throughout
the country. Organised IN miniature On
the same lines as the department In
Washington. which would supervise
the whole Of the work IN their dishicta
under the direction of respohsible Of
ncials: that thss s. director sof posts ala
the aaststa.t directors form n q
: