Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-26
HUMANIZING HTE POSTAL sERVICE-By Frederic j. Haskn

a view Of educating school children in postal
matters
Mr.. Hays is not claiming credit for the
system as the child of his brain. 1t has been
urged for years. He does believe, though
that he is going to get results from pushing
the plan as hard as it can be pushed.
''Mail Early Campaign
In the campaign to induce mailing
throughout the day, the "begin at home
policy was adopted. The postmaster gen.
eral first took it up with the other members
of the cabinet and brought the mail situa-
ton to the attention of members of congress
1t was found that nearly every governmental
bureau had been holding mail until the close
! of the day, then depositing it all with the
post office. This clogging Of the mails nat
| urally resulted in delays, which were often
! unavoidable.
One of the first results of the plan was
that it was possible to shift many of the
night mail workers to day jobs, from which
| these employees naturally benefited. TO
business men Mr.. Hays appealed on a give
and take basis. He asked them how they
would like the post office department to
hold their mail all day, then dump it all on
| them at the close Of the business day. 1T
is just as blessed to deliver mail to the post
office hour by hour as it is to receive it
hour by hour he pointed out. Almost i'm
mediate results were seen.
In order to give postal employees a close
| interest in the detection of mail robbers, Mr..
| Hays astonished them by offering reward
| of $4,000, without any strings to it, to any
postal employee who brought in a robber
Then arms and ammunition for the men en-
gagged in handling valuable mail were OBJ
tanned from the war department. Since this
happened, there hasn't been a mail robbery
| Of major Importance.
In the handling of many phases of the
business of the department, Mr.. Hays has
drafted men of the greatest ability in their
own lines DR.. Frankel is an example. The
purchasing agent Of big railroad is serV-
| ing without compensation in the purchasing
| department of the post office department.
The proper man is now being sought to take
care of the system of vehicles operated by
| the department, including between 5000
and 1000 automobiles. The transportation
| expert of one of the big railroads is serving
as second assistant to Mr. Hays, in charge
Of the railway mail service, among other
| things.
The system is being extended to the par
| eel post service, an express business con-
| Quoted by the government and handling
over 1000, 100000 pieces of mail in bulky
| form every year. Then there is the banking
end of the postal business Mr. Hays is
authority for the statement that there is a
| billion dollars boarded away in American
socks and chimney corners which should be
| in circulation, through deposit in the postal
| savings system, to assist in the nations in
dustrial revival. To lure these dollars from
their lairs, Mr.. Hays plans to increase the
rate Of interest paid to depositors to make
| interest payments apply to deposits left in
for less than year, to remove the age limit
of depositors, to provide for joint and trust
funds and to extend the postal savings fea-
| ture Of the service to $4,000 post offices
1t is now established in only $500 offices.