The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-07-11

Every year or SO there was. "a deficit.
MS at first WAS OF Iy a few million
dollars and it attracted but little at
tentOn. Lately, however, the loss has
laaped to upward IF ten millions. and
when We took chase here in 1909 we
found that the deficit was over seven
teen millions. Last year we cut thai
down about eleven millions. and along
n December it was almost wiped GU.
Since then we have been doing better
and better, and We have nov crosse
the line, We have turned three million:
into the Treasury, and are spendin2
much less than We make"
But will this last?' l asked.
Il hope so, the gain has been ma lie
Notwithstanding that the business ri
he postoffices has fCen running at i
lower rate tnan in the past. If ".
mould have a panic and a period =
hard times, which | do not expect
there might be Lei a falling off il
receipts as to put Us behind. But D
not. expect to keep on paying II
way"
. Bettcr:ng the Service.
But has not this cutting down tn
expense curtailed the serVice?'
NO, indeed was the reply. wv
nave reduced the deficit by extendin:
the service, and that along profitabl
49, 80 IA, pcsS !" = 1"I ~
have added more han 5000 new post
offices, and nave establisn ed more thar
1000 new rural delivery routes of al
aggregate distance Of more than 5000
miles, or enough to reach twlc'
around the world. We have Increases
our force of employees by between s,
900 and 5000 and have pat on tn
railway service about 500 more mel
than we had in the past.
We have extended the salary lis
and raised the rate Of compensation
in many cases. The annual amour
paid for salaries has been increase;
by about ST., 100000. and the averag
salary Of the postofice clerk has gon
up from 1919 to S1.0J1. Inere ha
been an increase in the wages of tn
letter carriers, and also Of the rura
delivery men.
" have ais improved the cit
pOstoffices. and have given them 1.S0
more clerks. and at the same tim
have put on 1000 more letter carriers
You cannot reduce the expenses or
business like this by cutting down tn
force OF employees. The Postmasters
General of the past tried that anl
failed. The trouble is the moment 70
lessen the force YOU reduce the eff
cheney. The wheels of the macnlner
become clogsed, the nails pile up ant
complaints flow in. 1t takes a lot Q
tine to answer the complaints and
50 rearrange the service as to max
ii efficient again. As a result the los
is greater taan ever.
Modern Business Methods For th
POstofiice.
NO continued the P~OStnaSteI
Genera. the Wiping out Of the detc
has been due more than anything els
to the introduction of modern rs
80, ,-,t1o3c ~ r. tho SnrIJca M
have cut out toe waste wherever pos
sible, have adopted all sorts of labor
saving devices and have tried to IN
5 prove the efficiency of the clerks. 70
see We have 325,000 employees, an
[ most of them are h~igh-priced mer
We have many here who are receiNln
= $1,000 and $1,000 and upward a yea
They are good men, but We have
handle them properly to get the
> greatest efficiency.
I'VE have done this in the city pos
? offices by introducing travelling belt
overhead carriers and Otaer machln
l to carry the mail matter from plat
to place N the offices. The lette1
: are faced up by machinery and tt
{ stamps Cancelled at the rate of 5000
e an hour, The mail comes from tn
! cars. and after it enters the pos
office it goes almost without stoppin
Ito the letter carrier II ID y NNiiN
it.
1T is the same with other thing
S We are saving on freight by cuttln
t down the weight of the mail bags. "
I are saving in the rural delivery I
. studying the country for ourselves an
e putting the routes where they WI
serve the most people instead OF a
flowing a Congressman to locate the'
T for political purposes. When W
- octa hitch a new carrier OoI1NeTN W
e make the town where it goes Civ
rs the best arrangement for hant
ling the mail. We insist on their in
proving the streets. and that ever
+ house shall have its own letter DC
@ for receiving its mail. In this way TT
postman drops in his letters Witho'
e stopping and ringing the pei. e
8 pect to see the time come when TN
will no required in all of the cities.
1ax.a also imnENNed the EailM1