The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-18

tunes greater than that shown Tor aver ages by departments.
 1t is at once evident either that it Is costing some of the offices too little or that others are being run at unwar- ranted expense. Nor are these variations explained by differences in character uf work. For example, there are two depart ments which handle practically the samv kind of business and in very large volume. The average cost of handling incoming mall to one was found to be over SIN times as great as the cost of handling n- coming mail to the other. Excluding the cost of preparation, the average cost per 1000 for outgoing mail to one was nearly J0 per cent greater than that for the other.
 It has been found that differences of aV- craze cost by departments closely follow differences in method and that the great est cost Is found in the department where the method is most involved. Another fact is of interest, viz, that in the two departments above referred to, which show the lowest averages, orders havo been issued which will lead to large sav- ing without imparng efficiency, It can not he said what the saving ultimately will be when the attention of officers in all of the departments has been focusec on present methods with view to chang ing them in such manner as to reduce cost to the lowest point compatible with efl- cent SefNlce, u, noNHNtIs must Dt ai Cbi- siderable percentage of nearly s5,0o0,0j1, tho total estimated cost of handling this part of the government business at Wash ington.
 Results have already been obtained which arc noteworthy. Mention has been made of the orders issued by two depart ments. Of these the order of one is most revolutionary in character. since it re- quires flat filing. where before all corre- spondence was folded the doing away with letterpress copies. and the discontn- uance of Inducements on slips, one of the most expensive processes and one which in the other department has been carried to very great length.
 Need for Labor Saving Office Devices The use of labor saving office devices In the service has been made the subject of special inquiry. An impression prevails that the government Is not making use of mechanical devices for economizing labor to the same extent as are efficiently managed private enterprises. A study has been made of the extent to which devices of this character are now being employee in the several branches of the govern ment and the opportunities that exist for their more general use. Tn order to sc- cure information as to the various kinds of labor saying devices that are in exist ence and as to their adaptability to gov ernment work an exhibition of labor saV- ing office appliances was held in Wash ington from July to 15, 1911. One hun drod and ten manufacturers and dealers participated. and more than 10000 officers and employees visited the exhibition. There is no doubt that the exhibition served the purpose of bringing to the attention of of- 6cers devices which can be employed by them with advantage. The holding of this exhibition was. however, but a step pre- paratory to the contemplated investiga- tion
 Unnecessary Cost of Copy Work
 The efforts of the commission resulted also in the adoption by several bureaus or departments of improved methods of doing copying. The amount of copy work here tofore done by hand each year in the many offices is estimated to aggregate several hundred thousand dollars. The commission exhibited. at it's offices. appli- ances that were thought 10 be especially adapted to this kind of government work Following these demonstrations methods of copying were introduced which have brought about a saving over 75 per cent in offices where used for six months. This change in one small cross section of office practice will more than offset the whole cost of my inquiry
 Waste in the Distribution of Public
 Documents
 Going outside the office. one of the bus mess processes which have been investi gated is the distributor of departmental documents This is a subject with which both the Congress and administration heads are familiar The prevailing prac- tlce in handling departmental publications is to have them manufactured at the goi- ernment printing office; each job when completed is delivered to the department; here the books or pamphlets are wrapped and addressed: they are then sent to the postoffice: there they are assorted and prepared for shipment through the mails; from the postoffiee they are sent to the railroad station, which is only few steps from the government printing office, whence they started. The results of this laborious and circuitous method is to make the use of the best mechanical equipment impracticabe and to waste each year not less than a quarter of a million dollars of government funds in useless handling. to say pothng of the indirect loss due to lack of proper co-ordi- nation.
 Wasteful Use of Properties and
 Equipment
 The use of equipment is a matter which also has been investigated Up to the pres ent time this investigation has been in the ---~'-. cnnG1ed to tho subject of electric lighting. The government pays over sGO0,-
 4. year tor electric current; it has made large capital outlsys for wiring and .I.n Nss fFR