Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-07-17
POSTMASTER MURPHY
RECEIVES LATEST BULLETIN
How Thousands of Dollars Are Annu-
ally Saved for Government.

Postmaster J. P. Murphy of the To-
cal office has received a bulletin from
headquarters which shows how thous-
ands Of dollars are saved annually by
the Introduction of modern methods in
the post office department.
The bulletin follows:
The interest of people in public af
fairs is considerably heightened when
they learn that the revenues of the
government are wisely and judicious-
ly managed. statement of econom-
ical expenditure which is suscentib1e
or proof will always attract attention
and please the Thoughtful reader
Mail Locks and Bag Attachments.
Among the varied Industrial enter
PIlses OF the post Office department in
washington is an establishment de-
voted entirely to the manufacture Of
mail locks and the bag attachments
used in mail transportation When
this administration came inro power,
the department sorely needed an
improved type of mail lock. The shop
was Immediately reorganized, placed
on business basis and it's activities
enlarged so as to meet this imperative
demand Within a very short time a
new and greatly improved lock had
been devised and its production begun.
ounces; the new one weighs 2 As
ounces. AS 100000 Of this new pro-
duct have been put into service the
difference in weight (the govern
men paying as much for the weight
of equipment as it does for the mail
itself) can be easily calculated The
locks replaced by this new and better
style cost q cents each to make;
those now being manufactured cost
8 IL cents, direct and indirect charg-
es considered, the saving thus shown
on original cost Of production to date
amounting to $53.750. OF the old style
$4,000 were annually returned for re-
pair at a cost Of about cents each
OF the new style, out of the great
number sent into the service, but 906
have been returned, and as these new
style locks can be repaired at cost
of cents each, the annual saving on
this item will amount to over ST.
10G.
The improved Card Fastener.
The department has in this admin
istratiOn encouraged its employees to
give their best service to the govern
ment and many instances have re-
Gently come to notice wherein the de.
partment has greatly profited by this
wise public policy. In the lock shop
a recent achievement in this direction
is an improved cord fastener, the
work of three of it semployes, for use
ing large quantities of parcel-post
matter, which has heretofore been
without this protection. It can be
made at a very low price, requiring
less material and a fewer number of
operations. The significant part of
this lies in the great number re-
CURED in the service. between three
and four millions, the Outbeing $780,
600 annually. As the cost has been
reduced by the new method from
IL to cents each, it will be seen
what a splendid showing this makes
for administrative economy.
Another valuable improvement has
been the perfected locking cord fast
ener designed for use on tie sacks
something which the department for
Years has needed and vainly en-
deaVOred to accomplish. This device
viii be of great value to the postal
service at large by Increasing the ca
pacity and efficiency of mail bags to
a degree difficult to estimate. The
modern system of business methods
ployeS to take an active and earnest
interest in their work, btah Of which
desirable features this administration
Of the department has favored and put
into practice, is responsible for the
many Improvements made and the ad-
vantages gained.
Labelling of Mail Bags.
ActiCe experiments are constantly
being made for the betterment of the
service. For many years a tremendous
expense has been the labelling of the
immense quantity of mail bags in use
The form of label used in the past
and still used by clerks all over the
country is the doubling and refolding
Of what is known as q facing slip"
The preparation of these labels by the
thousands has been and is an expen-
EiyrA nTHnnSjfiO10 there n
have been no effort on the part of pre-
viOus administrations to progress
from the old method. Under the pres
ent direction q perforated label in
scheets and runs has been designed
which is practically ready for use
when furnished to employees. Every
postal clerk in the country and thous
ands of post Office employees will find
this new method Of great advantage
and it will result in a large economy
in the service.
Substitution of Steel For Brass.
There have also been some other no.
table improvements made, viz, the
substitution of steel where brass was
formerly used, at a very considerable
Iessening of expense; a device for
fastening foreign mail pouches, doing
away with the ld-fashioned method
of string and seal; a scheme for saw
ing Irvine by means Of a simple hold
er winch permits Tree and easy use
without waste, and a flexible stamp
design, for which the contract price
was "a cents, but which will now 10
made at a cost of but cents. a
mechanical pickup or facing table for
use in facing and stacking letters in
first class post offices has also been
developed and will soon be perfected.
This device is considered superior to
those now in use and cost less, than
one third as much to manufacture.
Those at present in use cost approx
mateIy $1,000.
It will thus be seen that the activ-
tiles of the post office department have
been centered along lines which will
not only produce large economies to
the people of the country, but will al
so prove a great convenience to those
in the service. During the past three
years two objects have been kept con-
stantly in view, viz. saving the pub
lie money wherever possible and serv-
ing the people to the fullest extent.
There was room for great improve
ment and there has been much accom-
plished. It is but common Justice to
award due credit in these adminis-
trative reforms to the fourth assist
ant postmaster general, in whose bu"
reau these measures of economy were
daVa10pad oud who has SO faithfully