Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1921-07-23
Humanizing the
Postal Service

tAtpuWitau Natipnai tuHiii1itlte, loon
charge Of the Postoffice Department
in the administration of President
Harding. he attracted country wide
attention by declaring that the postal
service must be humanized lie said
that the 100000 employees of the Post
office Department We're not To be re-
garded as commodities. but that they
should be made partners In The con-
duct of the business; that having the
brain and the hand to do the job WELL
they would be given the heart also
with which to carry on.
To prove that he was not uttering
empty words, Mr., Hays has gone into
the thing thoroughly, and still is hard
1T work at the business of humaniz-
ing the service which he heads, He is
trying TO see all of the postal ems
,,loyes it is possible for him 10 meet
He has talked To 1900 of them in
Washington. and in New York and
Chicago 20 about $4,000 more. He in
eited to Washington TO confer with
him the heads OF the seven postal
workers organizations Postmasters
and division superintendent of the
railway mail service have been called
here that their views might be as
eertaincd.
The next step was a gathering of
the heads of the groups of employees
and all of the officials of the Post
Office Department and at this con-
ference every side OF every question
affecting the service and the nlen and
women responsible for il was gone
into. What is regarded as the cap
stone of the humanfzing effort was
put ON when MIR. Hays authorized
postmasters to consult with clerks
and carriers or other postal workers
on matters affecting them and the
service. MIR. Hays confidently looks
tor q steady Improvement in the mail
service as result of this system. an6
that is where the public vii! get it's
reward.
Mr., Hays travels through tie coun-
Try in his political campaign days
brought him in touch with many big
private commercial enterprises and in
their plants he came in contact with
the systems Of welfare work they
have found it desirable TO install and
build up. If private business could
benefit from such systems. the new
ostmaster-Generat saw no reason
lit as well. and il would follow that
any Improvement OF the postal SER
vice would immediately benefit every
client of the postofiices, which means
practically everybody in the United
States.
Postal Welfare Work.
MIR. Hays accordingly secured the
services of DIR. Lee X. Frankel. vice
president of the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Co, known FAR and wide as
the head of the welfare work built
up among the employees and policy
holders of that company. DR. Frankel
is serving the PostofIice Department
for an indefinite period without pay.
Another step taken by Mir. Hays i'm
following out his system is a change
in the seniority rights of postal en-
ployes who have resigned and re-enter-
ed the service IL was formerly the
practice to put them back at the foot
of the list. Now and hereafter they
may again become postal employees
Just one grade below that held when
they resigned.
MIR. Hays found many instances. toe,
where the retirement law worked in-
Justice TO employees ard hurt the SER.
vice as well. The arbitrary retire
naent of a clerk whose mental and
physical faculties are unimpaired did
not please the new boss OF the Post
Office Department. lie put into ef-
feet a policy Of continuing for two
year periods. those VINO We're lit and
restored several who had been arbitra-
rily retired.
To carry the humapizing. effort OUT
side the exact confines Of The service
and make II apply directly 10 the
public, the Postmaster General has
asked postmasterS everywhere 10 take
an active interest in commercial clubs.
chambers of commerce. boards Of
trade. and similar organizations. This
s primarily 10 acluaiut business mer
directly with how they may help in
facilitating mail deliveries, mainly
through proper addressing and mail
ing during the day instead Of dump
ing quantities Of mail on the post
o.ffices just az the close CT the bust
ness day.
Postrnasters have been told 20 en-
courage constructive criticism and
legitimate complaints Of inadequate
service. and have been told to give
personal and prompt attention TO these
complaints when they come In. Also
these postmasters have been instructed
10 get in touch with school authori-
ties with view Of educating school
children in postal matters.
Mr.. Hays is not claiming credit for
the system as the child Of his brain
Il has been urged for years. He does
believe though, that he is going TO
get results from pushing the plan as
hard as il can be pushed.
mail Early Campaign.
In the campaign to induce maiEzg
throughout the daY. the begin at
home" policy was adopted. The
Postmaster General first took il up
with other members Of the Cabinet and
brought the mail situation TO the at
tention of members of Congress. II
was found that nearly every govern
mental bureau had been holding mail
until the close Of the day, then de-
posting It all with the post Office
This clogging of the mails naturally
resulted IN delays which were often
unavoidable.
One Of the first results Of the plan
VAS that il was possible tc shift many
Of the night mail workers TO day jobs.
from which these employees naturally
benefited. TO business men Mr.. Hays
appealed Oh a give and take basis. He
asked them how they would like the