The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-27

nothing being done, and things were allowed to drift along and conditions to remain just as before.
 The waste in the use of supplies thus liberally furnished. was not the only item of expense which these methods entailed. Absence of prop CT oversight into the details govern ing the business permitted Q force of clerks to remain upon this Work whose services could have been more usefully employed elsewhere or dis continued altogether. All this, to- gether with the inappropriate and unsuitable system in operation, led to a mass of unnecessary correspond ence. in which the complaints of post masters at protracted delay and er- TOTS in filling acquisitions formed a considerable part, and which better system and wiser management could have measurably 1essened; if not en- tirely abolished. Numerous changes in the method of operation were &C., cordingly made, careful scrutiny of acquisitions required, as well as all requests for monetary allowances, with the result that very considerable economies were effected in time, labor and expense.
 Measures of Economy Adopted.
 Another discovered Aeed for which a remedy was promptly applied, was a revision of the specifications under which blanks, books. etc, for the money order service were furnished. By this revision a reduction of prac- tfcally one-third of the blanks for merly under contract has been ac- complished. Careful study of the amount needed during a contract period resulted in greatly reduced bids being made possible by furnish ing contractors with true estimates of the actual quantities required. the amount so saved for the four-year period beginning December 1, 1915, being approximately $130,000.
 There is also another matter of considerable expense to the Depart ment which a wiser policy has now greatly lessened and will eventually altogether abolish viz, the practice of renting the cance1ing machines used in the service. All such machines are to be placed on 0 government-owned basis. AS the Department has been paying from $220 to $270 per annun rental for each of these machines, the need of a change in this direction was clearly seen. This need is now being gradually met, the Department now owning sos of these machines and it is expected that at the end of this rental period, June 30, 1917 there will be a sufficient number o1 these government-owned machines to replace at least half of those under rental, thus allowing $150 900 for the purchase of new machines the fol lowing year and practically abolish. ing the necessity for renting such machines thereafter. At the present time the cost of these rented ma chimes is $23O,0OO annually.
 Repairing scales returned from the service as defective and damaged, has also produced a considerable econ. omy in that direction, 2,737 of those returned being put into good order during the past year. As the parce post uses great number of scales ir the conduct of it's business, 50,193 oi the 100-pound capacity beam scale having already been furnished, the repair of such as can be made ser viceable again, instead of being con demned and sold as waste materia along with others, as has been thu practice heretofore, represents quite l a saving at very small cost.