Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-12
OVER 100000 WILL BE SAVED ANNUALLY
IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE MAILS

All departments OF the government
are OF interest to the people, and the
activities and industries Of each are
matters OF great and vital concern, for
the welfare Of the nation depends upon
the manner in which these great pub
lie enterprises are conducted and ad-
mfnistered.
The postof1ce department being in
close and constant touch with all
classes, necessarily occupies a large
share OF public attention. and anything
relating to it's projects and purposes is
always of special interest. The adop-
ton Of measures calculated TO lessen
expense and broaden the field of USE
fulness may easily come within that
category.
The principal cost IN the postal
service is that Of transportation. With
an annual expenditure exceeding
SIS 900 900, which is the price the gov
eminent pays for this service, it may
be naturally assumed that the men
who now manage our postal affairs
were concerned to know If it was not
possible to lessen this cost without
impairing the efficiency Of the service.
The first question which suggested
itself in this connection was whether
the weight of equipment, a matter OF
very considerable concern, could not
be reduced, since the government pays
as much per pound for the weight of
the bag as 1t does for the mail within
it.
There was time-away back in the
early history of the department-wheD
these questions did not count for
much. The service was then restrict
ed to the more populous sections and
IY4+
The bags were then made of leather
Leather was king for this great pub
lie need. and the cry there's nothing
like leather was firmly held and be-
lieved by the postal officials of that
period, and the cry was industriously
echoed back by the contractors, who
received a good round sum for what
they furnished, and naturally wanted
it TO continue. These bags were heavy,
clumsy things Of barrel pattern,
some fastened with an iron chain, a
veritable curiosity when compared to
the light and handsome productions Of
today. One Of these cumbersome
pouches which carried the entire
southern mail from New York to New
Orleans in these early days may be
seen in the National Museum in
Washington. The troublesome ques-
ton of expense and weight were not
considered then, but when in recent
years the service grew by leaps and
bounds, both these subjects became of
supreme Importance, for the rapidly
increasing cost consumed a large part
of the postal revenues, and a reform |
in both directions was an immediate |
and imperative necessity.
The first step in this needed reform, |
inaugurated by the fourth assistant
postmaster general. was the with /
drawal of all heavy equipment and the |
substitution in its stead of lighter and |
more suitable material, disseminating |
the further manufacture Of the equip |
ment then in use with a very consider |
able saving Of both cost and weight. /
Many experiments were made and /
tried out in actual service to find the !
best and most serviCeable kinds, ex-
pense and durability considered, and 1
to the present postal administration /
belongs the credit of having produced /
something in this direction combining /
not only all the essential needs of |