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The Commoner.
MAY 30, 1913
" -3
should be discontinued." This is the wording
of the commission's fourth general recommenda
tion. The commission holds that the adoption
of a subject classification as proposed would do
away with much of the recording and indexing
of correspondence. Today about 8,000,000
cards and 800,000 pages of book records are
filed annually in the executive departments at
a salary cost of over $500,000. The commission
estimates a saving of $200,000 annually by the
adoption of this recommendation. &i
Whether or not carbon copies of letters con
Btituto sufficient records from the legal and coih
mercial angles', made up the fifth subject of the
commission's investigation. The use of press
copies of letters instead of carbons is still com
mon enough to make the commission's findings
applicable not only to government work, but also
in many commercial houses.
The whole question was studied with charac
teristic thoroughness. Careful tests of inks,
typewriter ribbons and carbon papers were made
by chemists in the government employ and else
where, to determine the permanency of the
different types of records. From this in
vestigation, it is believed that indelible press
copies can not be obtained from letters written
with a typewriter ribbon. The press copy may
fade in fifty years, while the carbon copy makes
a non-fading record. The typewriter has been
in use for less than fifty years, of course, and
on this one point the finding js not decisive.
Considering the carboncopy from the economy
point of view, the commission found a different
method of press-copying letters in nearly every
office. In the executive departments, however,
"the proportionate salaries for the time spent
in press copying letters amounts to $31,080.46,
according to the statements made in answer to
the inquiry of the commission." To copy one
thousand letters cost $2.80 in materials alone,
while to procure carbon copies of these same
letters cost 56 cents a saving of $2.25 a thous
and. Since 22,000,000 communications are sent
out annually, the commission's estimate of the
possible saving is easily accounted for.
Similarly, from the viewpoint of adaptability,
the carbon copy proved itself the better. Let
ters were ready to sign when they had been
typed. The letters mailed were neater in ap
pearance. The copy itself was easier to handle
for future reference, and practically indispen
sable if vertical filing was to be adopted.
The minute detail into which the commission
went in its investigations is indicated by this
brief summary of its study of this one point in
handling correspondence. Science and practice
were both drawn upon; the opinions of clerks
and chemists both contributed to the establish
ing of a standard which may be profitably
adopted by business generally. This Is only one
instance of countless detail problems which the
commission might settle both for the govern
ment and for the business men of the country if
its life were continued by the present congress
and its activities given their broadest scope.
Possible economies in the preparation of let
ters led to the seventh detail of the correspon
dence investigation the use of the window en
velope. Inquiry showed that it cost on an aver
age about $6.50 a thousand to address envelopes
in the departments. Window envelopes would
cost only sixty cents a thousand more than plain
envelopes in every day qualities and standard
sizes, the added cost is only about half of this.
The arithmetic of the $5.90 savings per thous
and is not complicated. Since the departments
reported that they used nearly 17,442,000 en
velopes in a year, this one item alone makes pos
sible a saving of $102,907.
"There are, of course," the roport admits,
"classes of correspondence in which it probably
is not desirable to use this device. The commis
sion believes, however, that these classes are few
and unimportant. On the other hand, there is
a large amount of other material, such as checks,
warrants, notices, and so on, which can be mailed
in window envelopes. If this Is done a saving
to equal that in the case of letters can be ob
tained. "These estimates do not include savings which
would result if the window envelope were used
in independent establishments in Washington
and in the service outside of Washington. It
is believed that the saving possible would at
least equal that of the executive departments at
Washington. This means that the government
by adoption of a device familiar to every big
business, can save $250,000 a year in the ad
dressing of envelopes alone."
Two more general recommendations were
made by the commission which have a general
application in the handling of correspondence.
It urged that circulars issued by the government
should be wrapped and addressed by machinery
as far as possible. It also pointed out the
economy of so arranging forms to bo filled in
on a typewriter, that tho labor required In the
making out and reviewing of thorn would bo les
sened. Any business man who hns studied tho
make-up of forms will bo particularly interested
In this last recommendation. It involves tho
concentration of tho "fillod in" information In
ono spot and as near tho left margin of tho shcot
as is practicable, instead of scattering it in many
places on tho form.
Tho economy of using copying cameras for
tho duplicating of maps, reports, charts, draw
ings, and the liko was also investigated. It
was estimated that $100,000 could bo saved by
tho purchase of such machines. In four depart
ments whore they were installed for periods of
from four to six months, savings wero effected
amounting to a littlo over $11,000.
This general investigation of tho handling of
correspondence was followed by a detail investi
gation of the business methods of Individual de
partments. As a result, specific suggestions havo
been made in the commission's reports which,
if adopted, would bring about savings totaling
millions of dollars without reducing the efficiency
of tho public service.
In the office of tho adjutant general, for ex
ample, changes were recommended in tho
methods of filing and handling correspondence,
preparation and dispatch of telegrams, circulariz
ing of desertions from tho army, filing of mili
tary records and detailing of employees to other
departments. Certain classes of work, it was
found, could be discontinued without hamper
ing the service, and the work of tho offices great
ly facilitated by the rearrangement of sections,
desks, and so on. The savings from those and
other changes suggested were estimated at no
less than $323,435. Salaries to bo saved, $278,
000, was the largest item; half-tone illustrations,
$2,500, the smallest. With four other items
stationery, $9,300, printing, $13,400, telegrams
and cablegrams, $5,235, photographic supplies
$15,000 tho grand total was made up. Nono
of theso economies would reduco tho effective
ness of this office.
With the same thoroughness, the commission
planned the analysis of tho business methods of
offices of the several government departments.
It dug down into the details of tho work. In the
war department, for example, it analyzed tho
cost of preparation and dispatch of telegrams
and cablegrams and made constructive sugges
tions on ways to reduco the costs. Messages
were examined for tho purposo of determining
whether tho following mental factors had been
taken into consideration in preparing them:
(1) The necessity for sending a telegram;
(2) The use of unnecessary words;
(3) The dispatch of several messages to ono
officer in a single day in place of tho dispatch
of a consolidated message;
(4) Tho dispatch of telegrams at night rates
or other reduced rates;
(5) The use of a code for enciphering tele
grams dealing with routine business.
Analysis of 1046 messages filed with one tele
graph company in a single month brought In
teresting results. The actual cost of 370 of
theso telegrams was $177.96. Study showed
that $73.42 could havo been saved by intelligent
handling of the messages. Of this saving,
$8.00 could have been gained by abridging mes
sages ; $43.70 by grouping telegrams to the same
official; $9.89 by sending at night rates instead
of day rates; and $10.00 by sending routine mes
sages in plain English instead of in cipher. By
the introduction of a few office rules and with
out any increase' in the clerical work, a large
saving on telegrams could be effected.
Defects in administrative routine and control
were frequent. Many unnecessary letters wero
written on unimportant clerical details. Over
elaborate checks on errors wero found. Ono in
stance of "red tape" spun out to the breaking
point promises to become a classic instance of
how government bureaus can solemnly exceed
the transactions of musical comedy.
A cleric in tho mail and record division of tho
adjutant general's office, stated in a letter that
the correspondence division was apparently in
capable of distinguishing between tho national
homo for disabled volunteer soldiers, and an en
tirely different institution the national soldiers'
home post office. This was construed as cen
sorious criticism of the intelligence of tho cor
respondence division a violation of "official
comity," to quote the language of the inquiry
which followed.
To correct this invasion of the correspondence
division's dignity, a chain of letters was started,
beginning with a series of blank forms and end
ing with a carefully worded report signed by
sixteen man! Tho "crrorist" was first roquentcd
"to state (a) tho cause of tho apparont error;
or, If the cauuo Is noticnown, (b) the probable
cause; or (c) a theory as to the cause.
Having this end In view, you aro nlao requested
to (d) suggest a remedy, or guard against or
meanB of prevention of this kind of error."
Undor tho dlroctlon of his chiefs, tho "orror
Ist" carried out Uicbo instructions. Boforo this
case was closed and ovorybody's wounds as
suaged, practically tho same number of words
wero exchanged as aro contained In this ontiro
article.
Comment is unnecessary. Rod tape thero in
in many a privato business, but tho technicali
ties of orror-hunting aro never quite bo Intricate
So everywhere tho commission sought to find
tho inefficient method, to sook behind that
method for tho causo of tho lost motion and to
recommend changes which would establish a
standard and efficient routine for tho work.
Much of tho work started is unfinished. Con
gress by appropriation mado available $175,000
for the first two years by two grants ono for
$100,000 In June, 1910, a second for $75,000 In
March, 1911. In a special message In January,
1912, Mr. Taft asked for $250,000 moro for tho
curront fiscal year. Only $75,000 was ap-
proprlatod and to this was attached tho restric
tion that not more than throo salaries could be
paid in excess of $4,000 a year. This mado
necessary a comploto reorganization of tho com
mission. At tho same time, congress requested
a report from tho commission with recommenda
tions on tho organization and work of tho
patent office, this to be submitted Decombor 10,
1912, three months after tho resolution was
passed. $10,000 was appropriated for this
work, but so little tlmo was given that It was
Impossible to organize a special staff for this
highly technical work.
Tho job undertaken by the commission should
bo finished. It is a big undertaking. The work
started in Washington is only a portion of tho
whole task. Tho, cost of clerk hire at the Now
York post office, for example, is moro than the
combined clerk hire In tho departments of war,
navy, state, justice, and commerce and labor at
tho capital. In tho custom house at Now York
tho clerk hire totals more than in any ono of tho
Washington departments. And New York Is
only ono city with a custom house and a post
office.
In the reports of the commission submitted, so
briefly touched upon in this article, $230,000
was spent during tho twenty-one months covered
by tho work of tho commission. Millions of
dollars .can be saved if the work is followed up.
Suroly this is a business-like procedure and a
worth-whilo investment of tho business man's
tax money.
AN OLD THICK
Mr. Wilson was never asked to pledge him
self to four yoars in tho presidency in case he
was elected. No representative democrat over
so interpreted the platform. Nor has Mr. Bryan
ever so construed it in any public utterance with
which we are familiar.
Mr. Bryan said at Harrlsburg tho other day
that "a man who violates a party platform and
betrays his party and the people is a criminal
worse than the man who embezzles money."
A little coterie of democrats in tho United
States senate who are trying to sandbag honest
tariff revision would be glad indeed if they could
convince themselves that Mr. Bryan was talk
ing to President Wilson, not to them. New
York World.
THK WAY TO PEACE
War money makes war talk. War talk per
verts public opinion. It Increases tho possibility
of war, by making war seem easy and familiar,
even inevitable. More warships, more soldiers
do not allay this. They mean more war money,
more war talk, moro expenditure.
The way to peace lies in the opposite direction.
It lies in friendly relations and in friendly com
merce, in the extension of international law. In
the patient removal of possible stumbling blocks,
the loyal Ignoring of real differences if such exist,
and making war never the first resort, but al
ways the very last resort in every real crisis of
tho nation. David Starr Jordan.
THE GOOD SIIXP "FKIENDSHIP"
Portland (Ore.) Journal: All hail to Bryan's
new battleship "a ship of friendship!" May
it prove to be greater than a fleet of dread
noughts. May tho thunder of its broadsides
loosen the grip of Mars upon the powers.
M
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