The Washington times., 1910-03-30
Sweeping Change in Post
Office Management Is
Proposed.
PLAN is FAVORED
BY SUBCOMMITTEE
Cabinet Member to Be Relieved
of Administrative
Duties.

The question Of reorganization OF the
Postoff-ce Department promises to be-
come live one before the session ends.
The movement for legislation establish
ing a director OF posts and abolishing
the assistant postmRsters general is
making headway.
That a bill making provision for such
reorganization and a general remodel
ing of the system of running the Post
office Department VIII be reported out
Of the House Committee on Postoffces
and PosCOads lefOre the session is
much older is probable. A subcommit-
tee Of the POstOffces Committee, head
ed by Representative Stafford Of Wis
Consin, IS now considering the question
II viii report a bill TO the man com
mittee and the indications are the bill
viii be reported favorably 10 the House.
The bill, which according to present
indications will be reported. Will provide
for a director Of posts under the Post
master General, 10 be a permanent Of
fetal and a sort of general manager Of
the institution. In the place Of the as
SiStant pOStmaSterS general, there will
be seven assistant directors, who Will
meet IN council every seven days
Districts to Be Formed.
The bill will provide for the division
Of the country into fifteen districts, at
;he head Of which shall be a district
postmaster 70 whom all postmasters In
the district are 10 report instead Of re-
porting 10 Washington as AT present
PostOfhces are TO be divided into two
classes, accounting offices and -mprest
Offices. The pOstofhces which are ac-
counting offices viii be required TO re-
port 10 an auditor in Washington.
Imprest Offices will not be subject 10
audit.
The bin viii provide for the creation
Of a court or commission Of postal ap-
peals, 10 which challenged fraud orders
and questions Of the admissablity Of
second class matter may be taken
These are not all the features of the
proposed legislation. but they are some
Of the more important.
Has Been Urged Before.
This is not by any means the first
time the matter Of a reorganization Of
the Postoffice Department and the es-
tablishment OF a director of posts has
come up. II was urged strongly bv The
joint commission which about two years
ago investigated the business methods
OF the Postoffce Department and the
postal service.
Former Representative Jesse Over
street Of Indiana was prominent in this
investigation. and was a believer in the
director Of posts. Senator Penrose. as
chairman OF the Senate Postoffice Com
mittee, took a leading part in the in
vestigation.
The plan IS 10 have the director Of
posts Immediately responsible 10 the
Postmaster General for the administra-
tion Of the entire postal service The
commission two years ago said that this
position, If created, should be filed by
a man Of exceptional executive ability,
familiar with the routine OF the postal
service, and that he should be given a
free hand 20 effect complete reOrganiza-
tion of the POstoffice Department.
To Be Administrative Head.
The director of posts is supposed to
entirely relieve the Postmaster General
Of the general administrative duties
which ne has at present TO perform. and
leave him free 70 devote his attention 20
matters Of a large public policy. and
questions Of supreme Importance TO the
efficiency Of the service.
When the subject was first agitated,
IL was suggested that the office of di-
rector Of posts might be made the rest
ing place for some favored lame duck
also that into the offices Of assistant di-
rectors there would find their way vari-
Gus lame political fowls. But evidently
the POstoffices Committee believes that
the proposed reorganization would make
for the efficiency Of the Postoffice De-
paTtment
One OF the features Of the bill will be
to provide for a system of appealing
from the decisions of the Postoffce
Department in regard 10 fraud orders
and the admission Of second class mat
ter 10 the mails. Some of the decisions
of the department i'm the issue Of fraud
orders have aroused bitter controversy
They have been condemned as unjust
and many complaints on this score have
been made to members of. Congress The
result Is a good deal OF feeling in
House and Senate for a. system OF ap-
pealing from such orders.