Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1912-01-19

ficiency records in the various de-
partments; and into the conditions
of work In government Offices. This
inquiry will help to determine to what
extent conditions of work are uniform
in the different departments and how
far uniformity In such conditions will
tend to improve the service. have
felt that satisfaction with the condi-
tons in which they worked was a
necessary prerequisite to an efficient
personnel, and that satisfaction was
not to be expected where conditions
In one department were less favora-
BILE than in another.
This inquiry has not been complet-
ed. When 1t has been ascertained
that evils exist which can be rem
edied through the exercise Of the pow
ers now vested in the president, I
shall endeavor to remedy those evils.
Where that Is not the case, / shall
present for the consideration Of the
congress plans which, / believe, will
be followed by great improvement in
the service.
BUSINESS Metnooe.
In every case where technical pro
cesses have been studied it has been
demonstrated beyond question that
large economies may be effected. The
subjects first approached were those
which lie close TO each administrator,
viz, office practices. An illustration
of the possibilities within this field
may be found in the results of the in
quiry into the methods of handling
and filing correspondence. Every Of
fee in. the government has reported
its methods to the commission. These
reports brought to light the fact that
present methods were quite in the re-
verse of uniform. Some Offices fol-
low .he practice of briefing all CORE
sponudence; some do not. Some have
fiat files; others fold all papers be-
fore filing. Some use press copies;
others retain only carbon copies.
Unnecessary Cost of Handling and
Filling Correspondence.
The reports also show not only a
very wide range in the methods Of
doing this comparatively simple part
of the government business, but an ex-
traordinary range in cost. For the
handling of incoming mail the aver
ages of cost by departments vary
from 1884 to $S4.40 per 1000. For the
handling Of outgoing mail the aver
J ages by departments vary from $5.94
to $69.89 per 1000. This does not in
clude the cost of preparation, but Is
J confined merely to the physical side
Of the work. The variations between
, individual offices is many times great
err than that shown for averages by
: departments.
1t is at once evident either that is
Is costing some of the offices too little
or that others are being run at an
unwarranted expense. Nor are these
variations explained by differences in
| character of work. For example, there
are two departments which handle
: practically the same kind of business
and in very large volume. The aver
, age cost of handling incoming mail to
one was found to be over six times as
great as the cost of handling incoming
mail to the other. Excluding the cost
| of preparation, the average cost per
! 1000 for outgoing mail to one was
, nearly so per cent. greater than that
! for the other.
4 1t has been found that differences OF
! average cost by departments closely
follow differences in method and that
the greatest cost is. found in the de-
, partment where the method is most
, involved. Another fact is Of interest
/ viz, that In the two departments
; above referred to. which show the low
est averages, orders have been issued
! which will lead to large saving with
. out impairing efficiency. It cannot be
] said what the saving ultimately will
! be when the attention Of officers in
= all of the departments has been 70
) cused on present methods with view
to changing them in such manner as
to reduce cost to the lowest point
compatible with efficient service. It
!, however. must be considerable per
centage Of nearly s5.000,ce3. the total
estimated cost OF handling this part
: OF the government business at Wash
: ington.
Results have already been obtained
which are noteworthy. Mention has
been made of the orders issued by two
: departments. or these the order Of
one is most revolutionary IN charac
ter, since It requires nat filing, where
!. before all correspondence was folded
!. the doing away with letterpress cop
les; and the discontinuance Of in
dorsements on slips, one of the mosi
expensive processes and one which In
the other department has been carried
: to very great length.
), Need for Labor-savIne Office Devices
The use of labor-saving office de
vices In the service has been made the
: subject of special inquiry. An i'm
: preston prevails that the government
: is not making use of mechanical de
: vices for economizing labor to the
+ same extent as are efficiently managed
private enterprises. A study has beer
: made of the extent to which devices
? of this character are now being EN-
ployed in the several branches Of the
government and the opportunities thai
exist for their more general use II
order to secure information as to tbs
|