Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-01
Doing Children's Work.

"A number of men were employed at
per month each. Their duty was to
cut open small packages of letters.
Others were given employment at the
facing table. at a salary of S1OO per
month. All they had to do was to ar
range the letters on table with the
address sides facing in one direction
and separating the long from the short
envelopes. Any boy or girl could do
the work at either the facing table
or cutting table yet for eight hours
A day of this character of work these
men were receiving each a salary-sub-
stantially penSfon-of $1,000 a year
This is the salary paid expert dis
t.ibutors for the most trying work in the
postal service. and to earn which these
distributors must constantly practice and
study their work at home after complet-
ing their days task in the post office
On these tasks at the cutting and fac
ing tables at s1.2oO year were en-
ployed four OF the men separated from
war veterans. The services of all these
men were unnecessary, as the work is
easily absorbed by the regular force in
the slack time. In addition, other places
were created-equally unnecessary, equal
" simple and equally well paid Every
device within the broadcast interpreta ton
of the law was resorted to in an effort
to keep aged or politically protected en-
ployes on the pay roll.
in the meantime there was constant
strain on the distribution service which
needed keeping up to the highest pitch of
efficiency. because of the steady growth
of the mails and the great strides made
by the parcel post There were 1.O97 en-
ployes on the pay roll of the Washington
post office. Its quota was full Under the
post office appropriation act the Post Of
flee Department could not aIlot to the
Washington office the additional men so
sorely needed in the handling of the
mails. Every unexpected important rush
of mail necessitated the employment of
extra men. or overtime, until this over
time and extra service has reached the
sum OF $4,000 a year for the Washington
ONCE. Yet here were men in the i'm
portant operating divisions of the office
doing practically children's work for SAL
aries OF 81 200 a year, who by their re-
tention in the service were preventing
the employment Of Young and active men
for the swift and complex work involved
in the movement of mail matter.
Between Two Fires.
On the one hand was the public entt-
tied to an exacting and expeditions hand
ling OF their mail. and on the other was
the department requiring that the Wash
:nston office keep expenditures within the
sum available for its operation. At the
same time. the supervising heads, who
were IN no way responsible for this state
OF Affairs In the Office were clamortnR
Tor relief from a condition that not only
was intolerable. but constantly was grow
ing worse.
With the consent Of the department I
undertook to give that relief. and am Civ
.ne II, by the Introduction OF such simple
business methods as II is obvious that
his particular situation required
The plan OF reorganiztng the operating
"a n hos
- now being carried out. consists of eIirni-
mating all employees whose services are
not necessary. or whose work can be more
axpeditiously and intelligently performed
by efficient men. Under the head Of un-
necessary employees come those whose
work can be absorbed with ease by the
large force always available In the slack
time in the Office. This includes those
who have resigned. or have been dropped
because their inirrnity or incapacfty has
permitted them to do but a limited range
of the eIacting work involved in handling
the mails; also, men and women assigned
TO window or desk work. not because they
were needed. but because places had to
be found for them to keep them on the
government pay roll.
There has also been undertaken a re-
adjustment OF salaries comm ensurate with
the character OF work performed and
this has resulted IN the Recommendation
of a number OF decreases as well as In
creases of salary.
Inc system OF ratlnS has been I'M
proved. the rating now being broken up
into the several elements that enter into
an employees standing. As a result, an
employees rating hereafter will reflect his
value to the postal service as well as his
regularity of attendance and proficiency
In the particular task on which he is
engaged
Improving the Service.
BY this course Of administration we are
beginning TO live with greater efficiency
within the allotments that the post Office
appropriation act makes possible for this
ONCE. At the same time we have been
able to steadily improve the post office
service to the people. Since April l. we
have added carriers and wagons for the
delivery service: we have extended the
territory for the fve-trip business de-
livery: we have vastly improved the mail
collections and are building UP and
strengthening the distribution service of
the Office
In the conduct of this reorganiza-