East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-07-18
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SAVED
ANNUALLY BY USE OF MODERN
METHODS IN P.O. DEPARTMENT

can be repaired at a cost Of 9 cents
each, the annual saving on this item
viii amount TO over S2,100.
The deparement has in this admin
istration encouraged its employees to
give their best service to the govern.
n.ent and many instances have recent
! ly come to notice wherein the depart
ment has greatly profited 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 mat
ter, which has heretofore been with
out this protection. 1t can be made
at very low price, requiring less ma
tcrIal and a fewer number of oper.
ations. The significant part Of this
lies in the great number required in
the service, between three and four
millions, the output being 500, 900 an
nually. AS the cost has been reduced
by the new method from Az to 2
, cents each, it will be seen what A
splendid showing this makes for ad-
ministrative economy.
Another valuable improvement has
been the perfected locking cord fast
rer designed for use on tie sacks,
something which the department for
Vaarc hos naadad arJ ,.,;nI,. orloa,..
ored to accomplish. This device will
be Of great value 10 the postal service
at large by increasing the capacity
and efficiency Of mail bags to a degree
difficult TO estimate. The modern
system of business methods and the
Proper announcement Of employees
to take an active and earnest interest
in their work both of which desirable
features this administration of the de-
partment has favored and put into
Practice, is responsible for the many
improvements made and the advan-
tages gained
Active experiments are constantly
being made for the betterment of the
service. For many years a tremen.
dous 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 re-
folding of what is known as a facing |
slip The preparation of these labels |
by the thousands has been and is |
as expensive proposition, Yet there |
appears to have been no effort on the |
part of previous administrations to |
progress from the old method. Tn
der present direction a perforated la
bel in sheets and runs has been desi-
gned which is practically ready for
use when furnished to employees
Every postal clerk in the country and
thousands Of post office employees will
find this new method of great advan-
taee and it will result in a large eco
nomy in the service.
There have also been some other
notable improvements made, viz, the
Of steel where brass was
used, at very considerable
lessening Of expense; a device for
fastening foreign mail pouches. doing
away with the old fashioned method
Of string and SEAL a scheme for saw
ing twine by means Of a simple holder
which permits free and easy use with,
out waste, and flexible stamp de-
sign. for which the contract price was
"a cents. but which will now be made
at a cost of but cents. A meChani-
cal pickup or facing table for use in
facing and stacking letters in first
class post offices has also been de-
yeloped and will soon be perfected.
This device is considered superior to
those now in use and costs less than
as much to manufacture.
Those at present in use cost approxi'
mately $500
1t will thus be seen that the acti-
vities 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
also prove a great convenience to
those in the service. During the past
three years two objects have been
kept constantly in view, viz. saving
public money wherever possible and
the people to the fullest ex-
tent There was room for great i'm
provement and there has been much
accomplished. 1t is but common jus
tice to award due credit in these ad
reforms to the Fourth
Assistant Postmaster General, in
whose bureau these measures OF eco
pomy were developed and who has SO
devoted his time to that
purpose.