Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-08-03
THE INTELLIGENT MANAGE
MENT OF A PUBLIC INDUSTR Y

| -
fairs is cons iderably heightened when
they learn that the revenues of the
! Government are wisely and iudicioua-
| ly managed. A statement of econom-
of proof will always attract attention
and. please the thoughtful reader.
| Among the varied industrial enter.
prises of the Post Office Department
in Washington is an establishment
deYoted entirely to the manufacture
of mail locks and the bag attachments
used i'll mail transportation. When
this administration came INTO power,
the Department sorely needed an i'm
proved type of mail lock. The shop
was Immediately reorganized, placed
on business basis, and its activities
enlarged SO as to meet this imperative
demand Within very short time a
new and greatly improved lock had
been devised and its production
begun.
The lock in use weighed ola ounces;
the new one weighs As ounces. AS
43O, 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 mai itself can be
easily calculated. The locks replaced
by this new and better style cost 2l
cents each to make; these now being
manufactured cost so cents, direct
and indirect charges considered, the
saving thus shown on original cost
of production to date amounting to
S53, $50. Of the old style, 36, 900 were
annually returned for repair at cost
of about 8 cents each. OF the new
style, out of great number sent into
the service, but 906 have been re-
turned, and as these new style locks
can be repaired at cost of 3 cents
each, the annual saving on this item
will amount to over 81, 100.
The Department has insthis 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 profited by this
wise public policy. In the lock shop
a recent achievement III this direction
is an improved cord fastener, the
work of three of its Employees, for
use on bags; also oie 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 fewer number of opera
tions. The significant past of this lies
in the great number required in the ser
vice, between three and four millions,
the output being 500, 600 annually. AS
the cost has been reduced by the new
J method from 4 y to cents each, it viii
be seen what a splendid showing this
makes ror administrative economy.
: Another valuable Improvement has
, been the perfected locking cord fast
g ener designed for use on tie sacks, some
thing which the Department for years
has needed and vainly endeavec
to accomplish. This device vii
be of great value to the postal service
at large by increasing the capacity anc
; efficiency of mail bags to degree diff
f1icult to estimate The modern system
of buslnes me .hods and the proper en-
couragement OF employees to take al
earnest ::..s,.cs i. .h.c::- G:'crk both o
3 which desirable features this admins
tration of the Department has favored
and put into practice, is responsible fol-
the many improvements made and The
: advantages gained.
Active experiments are constantly
being made for the betterment OF ths
q service. For many years tremend
Gus expense has been the labelling o
: the immense quantity of mail bags il
use The form of label used in tn,
q past and still used by clerks all oveI
the country is the doubling and re
folding of what is known as fac
e ing slip"
). The preparation of these labels b,
+ the thousands has been and Is an eX
i penslve proposition, yet there appear
n to have been no effort on the part 0
i previous administrations to progres
from the old method. Under presen
direction perforated label in sheet
and runs has been designed which j
4 practically ready for use when furn
i ished to employees. Every posta
: clerk in the county and thousands o
I. postotli employees will find thi
+ new method of great advantage an
# it will result in a large economy i
the service.
There have also been some othe
10 noIable improvements made, viz
10 the substitution of steel where bras
n was formerly used, at a very consiC
- erable lessening of expense; a devic