The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-11
Commission Makes It's Report to Congress- Advising Mod-
 ern Methods
PRESENT SERVICE HAS
 TOO MUCH RED TAPE
Abollshment of Certain High Officials and Bureaus is Recommended With Substitution of Efficient
 Business System.

Washington, February 10-Congress to- day received preliminary report of the joint commission appointed during the last Congress to investigate the methods of the. postoffice and postal service and recommend legislation to effect changes in their administration. The commission, consisting of Senators Penrose, Carter, and Clay and Representatives Overstreet, Gardner of New Jersey and Moon points out many objectionable features to the business of both department and service. Chief among the recommendations is a plan to place the actual direction of the postal department and service in the hands of an officer with necessary as- sistants to be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,2 for long terms so as to in sure the continuity of efficient service.
 Under this plant the Postmaster Gen. eral a member of the Cabinet is chargeable with general supervisory con trel. and the determination of questions of policy.
 The commission also recommends that the business of the department be decen- tralized so as to avoid the congestion at the National Capital, which impairs the efficiency and increases the cost of ser vice; that the bookkeeping, auditing, and accounting be simplifed unified, and cen-. tralizeds to secure greater accuracy, more prompt methods and eliHsinatinns.ss .ss of duplication of work, and that the pfaetfass of requiring needless detailed reports from small postoffices be discontinued.
 The moderate application of the non-ac- counting system to small offices will elim- mate about 5000, or nearly one-half of all the postal accounts from the complex report, and bookkeeping system, or would at least greatly simplify the same.
 The commission says:
 Efficient Service.
 Tt appears too obvious to require argu- ment that the most efficient service can. never be attained as the direction of the business is at present intrusted to post master general and assistants, elected without special reference to experience and qualifications, and subject to frequent change. Under such a system large railroad, commercial or industrial busi- ness would inevitably go into bankruptcy, and the pestoffice department has averted that fate only because the United States treasury has been available to meet defi- cieneies.'
 Submitted with the report of the com mission Is a report of considerable vol ume from two New York accounting firms which were assigned to the investigation of the department last May. This report goes at length into the abolition of bu- reaus, the organization of administrative divisions the merging of money order an1 postal accounts, use of labor saving de- vices, classification. auditing. and ac- counting, and all of the many branches of the subject
 1t contains an elaborate synopsis of a plan for reorganization of divisions. It is pointed out that the criticisms are di- rected at methods and not at individuals. The following is summary of the more important suggestions made in the report of the examiners:
 Summary of Needs.
 That the offices of the first, second, third and fourth assistant postmaster general be abolished, and that a director of posts be appointed at salary suf- ficient to attract the best administrative talent in the country, and that he be given sole charge of the department and service, subject only to the control, in matters of policy, of the postmaster general as cabinet Cnicer; that as- sistant directors to be appointed to take
 
 (postoffices, transportation, appointments, finance comptroller, inspections, purchas- ing agent. and supplies) that the comp troller should be in charge of the whole accounting for the department and serv- ice and that the duties of the auditor be limited to an auditor of all the ae- counts in the proper sense of the word; i; that all postoffices not doing a money order business be treated as monaco counting offices and that a fixed supply of stamps, etc.. be supplied to them to be replenished from neighboring account ing offices in each exchange for cash or it's equivalent; that district offices be created at convenient points through out the country, organized in miniature on the sames lines as the department in Washington, which would, supervise the whole of the work in their districts under the direction of responsible officials, that the director of posts and the assistant directors form an advisory board to meet several times a week, and discuss inn portant questions as they may arise, and that a similar advisory board be created at each district office. That the post masters accounts for postal and money order transactions, heretofore kept sepa- rately. be merged: that promotions be based on merit, and scheme devised for retiring many of the older employers; that the liability for exceeding appropria- tfons be strictly defined and limited; that proper accounting system be installed; that the cost of several services rendered by the postoffive department, and postal service should be ascertained in accord ance with methods herein suggested eith- er by periodical tests of continuously; that the use of labor saving devices and machines be largely extended par-' ticularly adoption of mechanical sys- tenn of auditing money orders; adoption H the use of postal notes not to ex-