French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-07-20
THE INTELLIGENT MANAGE
.,MENT OF Il PUBLIC INDUSTRY.
Thousands OF Dollars Saved Annually
by Introduction Of Modern Meth
DDS in the 2. O. Department.

DDS in the Z. o. Department.
The interest Of people in public al
fairs is considerably heightened when
they learn that the revenues of the
Government are always wisely and
iudiciously managed. A statement OF
economical expenditure which is sus-
ceptible Of proof will always attract at
tention and please the thoughtful
reader.
Among the varied industrial enter
Lrises of the Post Office Department In
Washington is an establishment deVo-
ted entirely to the manufacture of mail
locks and the baE attachments used III
mail transportation. When this ad-
ministration came into power, the De
partment soTeIy needed an improved
tvpe of mail lock. The shop was i'm
mediately reOrganized, placed on a
Easiness basis, and its activities en-
larged so as to meet this imperative
| demand. Within a very short time a
new and greatly improved lock had
IN~A - S|O W. 90
The lock in use weighed 3 IL ounces;
the new one weighs 2 4-5 ounces. AS
43O,0 900 of this new product have been
put into service, the difference in
weight the Government 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 81 cents each
to make; those now being manufacture
ed cost s 1-2 cents direct and indirect
charges considered, the saving thus
shown on original cost of production to
date amounting to $53, $50. Of the old
style. $4,000 were annually returned
for repair at a cost of about 8 tents
each. Of the new style, out of the
great number sent into the service, but
9O6 have been returned, and as these
new style locks can be repaired at a
cost of 3 cents each, the annual saV-
ing on this item will amount to over
$2,1O0.
The Department has in this admin
~istration encouraged it's employees to
give their best service to the Govern
ment and many instances have recent
ly come to notice wherein the Depart
ment has greatly pFofted by this wise
public policy. In the lock shop a re-
cent achievement in this direction is
an improved cord fastener, the work
OF three of its employees, for use on
bags; also one designed for locking
large quantities of parcel-post matter,
which has heretofore been without this
protection. 1t can be made at a very
low price requiring less material and
d fewer number Of pOeratiOns. The
significant part Of this lies in the great
number required in the service. be-
tween three and four millions, the out
put being SOC, 1000 annually. AS the
cost has been reduced by the new
method from 4 IL to 8 cents each. it
will be seen what a splendid showing
this makes for administrative economy.
Another valuable improvement has
been the perfected locking cord fasten-
er designed for use on tie sacks, some
thing which the Department for years
has needed and vainly endeavored to
accomplish. This device will be of
great value to the postal service at
large by increasing the capacity and
efficiency of mail bags to a degree
difficult to estimate. The modern sys-
tenn Of business methods and the pro-
per encouragement of employees to
take an active interest in their work,
both of which desirable features this
administration o. the Department has
favored and put into practice, is re-
sponsible for the many improvements
made and the advantage gained.
Active experiments are constantly
being made for the betterment of the
ervice. 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 Dun
try is the doubling and refeld1ng OF
what is known as a facing slip" The
preparation of these labels by the thou
sands has been and is an expensive
proposition, yet there appears to have
been no effort on the part of previous
administrations to progress from the
old method. Under present direction
a perforated label in sheets and runs
has been designed which is practically
ready for use when furnished to en-
ployees. Every postal clerk in the
country and thousands Of post-ofice
employees will find this new method Of
great advantage and it will result in a
large economy in the service.
There have also been. some other /
notable improvements made, viz, the
substitution of steel where brass was
formerly used, at a very considerable
lessening Of expense; a device for faS-
tening foreign mail pouches, doing
away with the old-fashioned method of
string and seal; a scheme for saving
tWine by e of a simple holder
which permits free and easy use with
out waste and flexible stamn DESIGN