Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-01

President Taft the cabinet changes took
place. Former Seantor Philander c.
Knox became Secretary of State. Frank
lin MacVeagh. Secretary of the Treas
ury: Jacob NJ. Dickinson. Secretary OF
War: George Won L. Meyer. Secretary
of the Navy; George w. Wickersham,
Attorney General: Frank II. Hitchcock
Postmaster General; Richard A. Balm
er, Secretary of the Interior. and Charles
Nagel became Secretary of Commerce
and Labor. Secretary Wilson of the De-
partment of Agriculture was the only
member OF the cabinet to hold over under
the new administration
William Loeb, jr.. former secretary to
same time collector of the port of New
York. March Beekman Winthrop was
sworn in as assistant secretary of the
navy. Louis A. Coolidge. assistant sec
rotary of the Treasury resigned March
10. Late in March plans materialiZed
for the formation Of union of the
woman employees Of the bureau Of en-
craving and printing.
Toward the end of April the conflict of
authority between Secretary Nagel and
Director North of the census bureau be-
came acute. Director North resigned
May %, and Director Durand qualified
shortly afterward as his successor
Francis T.. Leupp, Indian commissioner,
resigned June 10. June l6. DR.. NJ. j.
Rosenau left the marine hospital service
to accept a position at Harvard Un1ver-
sity. The resignation of Assistant Sec
rotary Of Commerce and Labor McHarg
was accepted August 30. Edward T. VIII
liams was appointed chief of the division
of far eastern affairs of the State Depart
ment September . A Latin American
division was organized in the State De
parment in September.
Assistant Secretary Reynolds OF the
Treasury Department resigned September
16 to go on the tariff board. The same
day President Taft's decision on the
CLAWS charges. in which the President
upheld Secretary Ballinger, was given
out. Lee McClung, the new treasurer
or the United States, entered upon his
new duties November ]. Pension Com
missioner Vespasian Warner resigned
November 3d. B. S. Gable was appoint
ed to succeed Assistant Secretary Nc
Harg November "a and on the same day
commissioner to succeed Commissioner
Warner
The history of the postal service during
the past year differs but little from that
of the years which preceded it. There
have been but few changes, and no
radical innovations or reforms.
Postmaster General Hitchcock, upon
coming in as the head of the depart
ment, in which he had served as chief
assistant, Immediately began reforms
of each Near might be reduced. systems
simplified and efficiency maintained at
the highesN possible standard.
He appointed special committees of
postal expeAts to look into the operation
of the registry service. the money order
service and she railway mail service, to
ascertain If improvements were possible,
and to make suggestions for cheapening
the cost OF their operation without i'm
pairing their efficiency. Action has al
ready been taken upon some of the
recommendations made by the commit
tees. and experiments are being conducted
to determine the feasibility and desra bill
ity of others.
The recent adjustment of the so-called
accounting division in the Office of the
third assistant postmaster general, winch
was created by Former Postmaster Gem
eral Meyer. i'll the belief that it would
enable the department to keep better
track of its financial operations and APP
preparations, was the only organic change
made In he department during the year
Other changes ordered or authorized were
in methods. or mod1ncatlons OF detalis IN
the systems in operation. Except for
the resignation of Chief Post Office In
spector Francis T.. tMcMillin. during the
latter part of July. there has been no
change in the bureau chiefs. Although
Third Assistant Postmaster General A.
L. Lawshe rendered his resignation in
October. and "A short time later First
Assistant Postmaster General Charles r.
Grandtield wa appointed\ postmaster at
Washington, 10Th those officers are yet
Lar er Registration Fee.
The increase in the charge made for
registering letters or parcels from g.
cents to 10 CaEts, ordered about the
middle of September. after the experts
had reported that the registry service
did not pay, is the only action yet taken
by the Postmaster General to make theN
public assist in reducing the postal def
cit This action followed a conference
between the Preside mt and the Postmaster
General on the postal deficit earlier in
the month.
Announcement was made the first week
in June that the department proposed
to furnish the public with better quail
ity of postal cards. and September / the
new contract for furnishing the cards.
of the kind specified, was awarded to
the public printer, to be executed at the
government printing Office. The designs
for the new cards were approved the
latter part of November by the Post
master General. About the 1st of De-
cember it was announced that the old
government printing office building was
to be used i'll preparing and storing the
postal cards printed under the new con-
tract.
Four special issues of postage stamps
were ordered during the year, two tenn
porary and two permanent. The spe-
tI,4 ..,I-, V,.l,y