Omaha daily bee., 1921-05-09

| the great army or government employees Is gong
| to march forward under SUMMER skies and along
| pleasanter ways to greater accomplishment. The
| most practical fact from Uncle Sans point OF
view is that greater efficiency in his workshop is
resulting while congressional committees yc.
| mulling over preliminary proposals and elemental
| suggestions Tor reorganization of the federal
service to attain the same much-dcsire result.
The morale OF the federal service is being
| built up in just about the same way that the
morale of the 100000 soldiers who went into
the world war under the Stars and Stripes was
SO effectively done as to be marvel to the
| world.
By getting the government employees TO pull
with rather than against and to fight for instead
OF against the official in charge 1t is recognized
| by psychologists economists and scientific ex-
| perts on shop management that the most
| nomic and efficient service can be obtained, and
| that is just the new wave OF feeling that is
| spreading through the revivihed army of gov
ernment employees.
| The Postofice department has initiated this
new order and the other government departments
are following the good example as witness the
appointment of Miss Mary A. Tate as assistant
| 10 George Carter, the government printer. Miss
| Tatc'S particular work is to create an interest
in their work among the 4,S0O employees of the
government printing Office about one-third OF
| whom are women.
| The big idea is to build up the spirit OF the
| working organization, that instead OF getting
off in small groups and knocking they are be-
coming individually, and collectively boosters
The Harding administration has recognized
| that to get such spirit into the workshop the
| right type of executives must be selected. They
| must be men and women, who will lay out work
| all right and expect to get it done right, but
| who i'll their relations with the employes--the
rubbing together of shouldcrs-will not hesitate
! to extend the good hand of fellowship, human
| sympathy and establish conimeraderie more
potent than great tones OF rules and regulations,
| penalties and prohibitions.
| The cabinet was selected with this idea in the
back of President Harding's head. Secretary
| Weeks, in the War department, is good ex-
| ample of the genial good fellow who makes
friends of all with whom he associates while at
the same time getting results Secretary Hoover
gave the entire country direct and personal
illustration OF his power to spread enthusiasm
and a, spirit OF cooperation as food adminstra-
pile who followed his lead during the war are
still cheering for him as leader.
Now this isn't propaganda for any depart
ment. The attention of the writer focused
on the new sweep of feeling and zeal that is
spreading through the entire federal service by
the most unexpected agency--leaders of organ
ICED labor-who heretofore have been having
cat-and d-dog fights with the government officials
The Postoffice department is a striking ex-
ample OF the complete revulsion OF feeling that
Hds NoIHS Nitii 1IdlQiilS iSSlIlt IOStlldStSI
! General Hays has announced his intention to
establish a division of welfare work, to have
charge OF such activities. that will spread into all
the postofices throughout the country and
brighten the lives and improve the working con-
dons tor every man ON woman who helps
Uncle Sam deliver the mails.
In institutng this social welfare reform in
the postal service Postmaster General Hays
having already established well recognized
reputation for organizing genius, called into con-
terence the best possible autiorities-Dr Gar
National Cash Register company and Mr.
Frankel, in charge of similar work for the Met
! ropoitan Lie Insurance company.
but while organizing for such systematic
| DEVELOPMENT Of good feeling Postmaster Cen
eral Hays put his own personality and genial
| affability to work There are big four" of
organized labor in the postal service represent
ing the city carriers, the rural carriers. the post
office clerks and the railway postal clerks Each
one of these has maintained officers III Washing
ton to represent their interests before the depart
ment and before congress
These officers OF the organized labor in the
Postoftice department asked Postmaster General
Burleson for recognition, and he ignored their
! request. Postmaster General Hays sent out an
,lvitatlon to: these representatives to meet him
N his office for conference. which they did on
Tuesday, April p.
I 1t is an important fact that Immediately an
| agreement was reached and went immediately
into effect OH the subject OF reinstatements. This
provides that if an e1nploye resigned on account
of illness he is to be re1stated at his old grade
Of salary, and if he resigned for any other reason
he is to be relnstated one grade below the one
| he occupied when he left the service The sec
pnd reinstatement is TO be two grades below and
the third reinstatement three grades below
Admitted that that was. victory FOR the Or
| ganiZed employes-but it was much bigger VIC
| tory for Uncle Sam, because. instead OF having
| these postal employees all fighting the depart
nent, as they have been of recent wears, they
| are now all fighting for and with the department
| In the closing days OF the Sixty sixth congress
| the members of the house and senate were up in
arms because they charged under the leadership
| OF Chairman Lehlbach OF the committee on re-
! form i'll the civil service, who fathered the civil
| service retirement bill. that the specific pro-
visions and well established intent and spirit of
| postmaster general.
Postmaster General HAYS has let it be known
and congress has applauded the decision, that
the Postoffce department, OH the matter of re-
tiremcnt, is going to apply the law in its real
| intent and spirit
All through the federal service the army OF
employees is responsive to the new spirit of serv-
| ice and good feeling. They are expectant as ever
! before IN at least quarter of century that
/ they will have chance to win advancement by
! proven merit. and that means more to them than
small quarreling over few minutes more or less
| in days work few cents extra in pay.
! Those who are looking at the government
| service as on the biggest industrial unit in the
! world see more prospect of economy and eff
hciency through DEVELOPMENT of this morale un-