Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-21
SERVICE FIRST"
IS HAYS MOTTO

ambition, one determination in the
admins tration of this great office
that is to give to the people of
the United States the most eff,
cient postal service they ever have
had and the most efficient in the
world"
The speaker was Postmaster Cen
eral Hays, the youngest man who
ever held the office and one of the
youngest who ever held cabinet
post. The manner of his speaking
and his very evident sincerity, con-
WINGED me that he meant exactly
what he said.
We were lunching together in the
cafeteria on the top floor of the
department building on Penn
sylvania avenue. 1 had asked Hays
to talk for publication about the
problems of his department in their
relation to it's employees and the pub
lie and his policy as postmaster gen
era1.
The talk began in his office and
was being continued as we lunched.
The foregoing statement was
made in answer to my suggestion
that his appointment had caused
some criticism on the ground that
it was POLITICAL reward for his
services as chairman of the Repub-
campaign.
81 do not care to discuss the ,po-
litical significance of my appoint
ment," continued Hays, except to
say this: If anyone seriously thinks
that I am going ito run the post
office department as a political ma
chine he is just as mistaken as he
could be. Even if 1 were so short
sighted and had such a perverted
idea of my duties and responsible
titles, President Harding would be
the last man in the world to permit
such a thing:
81 am as interested as any man
possibly can be in the success of
the Republican party and of this
administration. And I know that
there is but one way that success
can be insured. We must give the
country efficient, economical and
just government.
"That is what we promised DUR
ing the campaign and the seven mil
lion plurality indicated the coun-
try's belief in our ability and hon
esty of purpose.
"If we make good we shall be en-
titled to a continuance of the coun-
try's confidence and will get it. If
we fail, we will be turned out and
ought to be"
Definite Plans
what are some of your definite
plans for making the postal service
more efficient servant Of the pub
lic?' 1 asked.
First and foremost it is my pur
pose to improve the conditions. of
the employees. The one most impor-
tant element in any business Is the
spirit of the men and women in 1t.
We are going to get away entirely
from any idea that labor is COM
modify.
II suggested in speech the other
day that that idea was abandoned
1921 years ago last Easter. / repeat
it now. l am going to whatever
lengths are necessary to develop in
the department the spirit that we
are 100000 partners.
"It is not a matter Of higher
wages. The $70,O00O00 increase re-
Gently made, with no decrease now
that other wages are coming down,
takes care of the wage situation in
a fairly reasonable way.
working conditions, however, in
many branches of the service are
unsatisfactory and we are going to
improve them. In short, we are go
ing to put some heart into the
works.
1--WE have organized a welfare de-
partment Just as definite In it's du-'
ties as any other department. There
is nothing original in this as every
other large business in the country
has done the same thing, from a
perfectly selfish business stand
point.
IF we can improve the spirit and
who do this job, that in itself will
be an accomplishment and it is per-
fectly certain to be reflected in the
quality of their service to the pub
"The fact that the federal COM
pensation commission is paying
many claims for injured eyes caused
by poor light in postoffices, is one
of the symptoms of the disease we
Concerning Profit.
"You have said that politics
ment, now about profit?" 1 asked.
politics nor profit" was the en-
phatic answer. "It is an institution
for service and the public which
owns it, has the right to apply the
tivity.''
How about the civil service?"
IT believe in it absolutely and 1t
is my determination to streng+ len
and broaden it wherever possible to,
the end that merit may govern. In
this way the postal service man be
made a more and more desirable
career into which young men and
wcmen can enter with certainty that
their work will be performed under
reason able conditions for a reason
able wage and that they will lie Sc
cure n their employment SO .ong as
they give faithful service"
How can the public help you and
the other postoffice employees in
your efforts to improve the serv-
ice?'
I'm many ways, but principally by
recc gnizing that the postal service
is not a private enterprise in which
they have merely the detached in
terest of customers, but that t IS
public service in which every man.
woman and child in the nation is a
stockholder.
I'm the final analysis, the in
creased efficiency of the postal serv
ice will depend upon the sympathetic
cooperation of the public with the
men and women they have employed
to do the job"
do you favor the. rapid develop
ment of the air mail service?'
II consider it very important
branch of the departments activi-
greater than that of any other coun-
try and it has unlimited POSSIBLE
tiles.