The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-07-14
THE INTELLIGENT MANAGEMENT
OF PUBLIC INDUSTRY

The interest of people in pub
lie affairs is considerably
heightened when they learn that
the revenues of the Government
are wisely and judiciously
managed. A statement of eco
nomical expenditure which is
susceptible of proof will always
attract attention and please the
the thoughtful reader.
Among the varied industrial
enterprises of the Post Office
Department in Washington is an
establishment devoted entirely
to the manufacture of mail locks
and the bag attachments used in
mail trans tation. When the
administration came into power,
the Department soreIy needed
an improved type of mail lock.
The shop was Immediately. reor~
gained, placed on a business
basis, and its activities enlarged
so as to meet this imperative de-
mand. Within a very short
time new and greatly improved
lock had been devised and its
production begun.
The lock in use weighed 81
ounces: the new one weighs 2 As
ounces. las 430, 600 of this new
product have been put into SER
vice, the difference in weight
1.-THE Government paying as
much for the weight of equip
ment as it does for the mail
itself can be easily calculated.
The locks replaced by this new
and better style cost FL cents
each to make; those now being
manufactured cost 81 cents,
direct and indirect charges con-
sidered, the saving thus shown
on original cost of production to
date amounting to $50, $50. Of
the old style, $4,000 were
annually returned for repair at a
cost of about 9 cents 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 saving on this
item will amount to over 50, 100.
The Department has in this ad-
mlnistration encouraged it's en-
ployees to give their best service
TO the Government and many in
stances have recently come to
notice wherein the Department
has greatly profted by this wise
public policy. In the lock shop
recent 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 very low
price, requiring less material and
a fewer number of operations.
The significant part of this lies
In the great number required in
the service, between three and
four millions, the output being
500, 900 annually. AS the cost
has been reduced by the new
method from a to 3 cents each,
it will be Sec what splendid
showing this makes for admin
istrative economy.
Another valuable Improvement
has been the perfected locking
cord fastener designed for use
on tie sacks, something which
the Department for years has
needed and vainIy endeavored to
accomplish. This device will be
OF great value to the postal ser
vice at large by increasing the
capacity and efficiency Of mail |
bags to degree difficult to esti-
mate. The modern system Of
business methods and the proper
encouragement of employees to !
take an active and earnest inter-
est in their work, both Of which |
desirable features this admins |
tration of the Department has
favored and put into practice, is
responsible for the many i'm
provements made and the advan-
tages gained.
Active experiments are con-