The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-02-10
CHANGES
SUGGESTED FOR
POSTAL SERVICE
Joint Committees Preliminary
Report, Reaching Congress
Today, Tears Things Up.
LABOR-SAVING DEVICES
TO BE USED EVERYWHERE
Abolition of Bureaus and Merg-
ing of Departments Advised
for Economy Sake.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-Congress
today received a preliminary report OF
the joint commission appointed dur
ing the last Congress to investigate
the business methods of the Postofiice
Department and postal service and
submit recommendations for legislation
to effect changes In their administra-
ton. 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 methods of both department
and service. Chief among the recom-
mendations is a plan to place the
actual direction of the business of the
Postoffice Department and service in
the hands of an officer, with necessary
assistants to be appointed by the
President, "by and with the advice
and consent If the Senate" for long
terms sa as to insure the continuity
of efficient service. Under this plan
the Postmaster General, as a member
of the Cabinet, is chargeable with gen.
eral supervisory control and the de-
termination OF questions of policy.
The commission also recommends
that business of the department be
decentralized so as to avoid conges-
ton at the National Capital; that the
bookkeeping, auditing and accounting
be simplihed, unified and centralized;
more prompt methods and elimination
of duplication of work, and that the
practise of requiring needless detailed
reports from small postoffices be dis
continued. The moderate application
of the non-accounting system to small
offices will eliminate about thirty thou
sand, or mainly one-half of all the
p~ostoffice accounts from the present
complex report and bookkeeping sys-
tenn on would at least greatly simplify
the same.
Too Much Politics.
The commission says sit appears
too obvious to require argument that
the most efficient service can never
be expected as long as the direction
of the business is, as at present, en-
trusted to a Postmaster General and
certain assistants selected without
special reference to experience and
qualifications and subject to frequent
change"
Following is a summary of thesmost
important suggestions made in the re-
port Of the examiners: That the Offices
of the first. second. third and fourth
postlnaSters-general be abolished and
that a director of posts be appointed at
a salary and that he be given sole
charge of the operations OF the depart
ment and service; that assistant direc-
tors be appointed to take charge of the
main operating divisions of the service;
that the comptroller should be in charge
of the whole accounting for the de-
partment and service, and that the du-
ties of the auditor be limited to an
audit of all the accounts; thai all post
offices not doing a money order business
be treated as "non-accounting Offices"
and that a fixed supply of stamps be
supplied, TO be replenished from neigh
boring accounting offices in exchange
for cash, or it's equivalent; 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 the older
employees; that the use of labor-saving
devices and machines be largely extend
ed, particularly adoption of a mechan-
zeal system Of auditing money orders;
adoption of the use of postal notes not
to exceed $40.
1.-THE appointment of postmasters,
clerks in postofices and many other
grades of the service" says the report,
are still largely affected by political
influence"