Pueblo chieftain., 1921-07-23
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

Washington, d. c.. July 2O.-Soon
after Will II. Hays. late chairman of
the Republican National Committee,
took charge of the Post Office Depart
ment In the administration of Presi-
dent Harding. he attracted country
wide attention by declaring that the
i postal service must be humanized
He said that the 100000 employees
of tho Post Office Department were
not to he regarded as comm odities.
but that they should be made part
ners in the conduct of the business;
that having the brain and the hand to
do the job WE'LL 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
at work at the business of humanizing
the service which he heads. He ia
trying to see all of The postal en-
ployees II is possible for him to meet.
He has talked to 1000 of them in
Washington. and in New York and
Chicago to about $4,000 more. II
invited to Washington TO confer win
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 ascer-
| tanned.
The next step was gathering of
the heads OF the groups of employees
and all of the officials of the Post
Office Department. and Mt this con-
| ference every side of every question
affecting the service and the men and
women responsible for 1t was gone
| into. What is regarded as the cap
| stone of the humanizing effort was
| put on when Mr.. Hays authorized
| pos'masters to consult with clerks and
carriers or other postal workers on
matters affecting them and tho SER
vice. Mr.. Hays confidently looks for
n steady Improvement In the mail
service as result of this system. and
that Is where the public will get its
reward. ....... ...
Mr. Hays travels through the 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. II private business could benefit
from such systems, the new Post
| master General saw no reason why
| the postal service could not benefit as
we'll and 1t would follow that any inn
provement of the postal service would
| Immediately benefit every client Of
| the post offices, which means practi-
cally everybody in the United States.
| Postal Welfare Work
| Mr. Hays accordingly secured tho
services of DR.. Lee X. Frankel. vice
president Of the Metropolitan Life In
suranoe Company known far and
wide as the head OF the welfare work
built UP among the employees and
policy holders Of that company. DR..
| Franke' is serving the Post Office De-
partmcnt for an indefinite period
without pay.
| Another step taken by MIR. Hays IN
| following out his system is n change
In the seniority rights OF postal em-
ployees who have resigned and re-
i entered tho service. II was formerly
tho practice to nut them back at the
| foot Of tho list. Now and hereafter
they may again become postal em-
ployeea lust one grade below that held
when they resigned
| Mr.. HAYS found man! instances. too.
where the retiremnt Inv worked lin
Justices to employees and hurt the
| service as well. The arbitrary retire
ment of clerk whose mental and
| physical faculties are unlmpaired did
not please the new boss of the Post
| Office Department He put into ef-
feet policy of continuing for two
year periods. those who were fit and
restored several who had been arb-
trarily retired.
To carry tho humauizing effort out
side the exact confines of the service
and make It apply directly to the pub
lie. the Postmaster General has asked
postniasters everywhere to take an
| active interest in commercial clubs.
| chambers OF commerce. bonrds OF
trade. and similar organizations. This
is primarily to acuuaint business men
| directly with how they may help in
facilitating mail deliveries. mainly thru
proper addressing and mailing during
the day instead Of dumping quant-