DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. 387 



sitler it nierelv routine und to think that it can be done satisfactorily 

 by any kind of helj). More friends are made or lost for the depart- 

 ment by the service they obtain from the distribution section than 

 any other single activity. The work itself requires a knowledge 

 of departmental publications which can be gained only by experience. 

 The effort in the section is to render as complete service as pos- 

 sible and to answer all communications promptly and fully either 

 by sending the publications requested or by letter, or by reference 

 of the request to the bureau or other department of Government con- 

 corned with the subject matter. The distribution section of this divi- 

 sion is a bureau of information not only for Members of Congress, 

 but also for a large part of the general public who have contact 

 with the Department of Agriculture, but whose knowledge of other 

 (jovernment work is exceedingly meager. Inquiries covering the 

 whole field of agriculture, also ranging all the way from whether 

 an " ace is a face card " to a request that the applicant be put in 

 touch with a "good-looking capable girl qualified to make a good 

 wife for a lonely farmer," were received. A surprisingly large 

 number of these miscellaneous requests were satisfactorily answered. 

 The distribution work properly handled can be made a most power- 

 ful agency for creating favorable sentiment for the department. 

 Improperly handled, it can create more enemies in a week than 

 can be placated in 10 years. Provision should be made for salaries 

 which will attract capable, bright people to the work. 



MAILING-LIST REVISION. 



Revision of the mailing lists begun in 1921 was continued with 

 further notable improvement. Complete information regarding all 

 the lists of the department was filed and made available for the dis- 

 tribution work. In the fall of 1921 one large list to which had been 

 sent in the past all Farmers' Bulletins as issued was discontinued 

 after an investigation had shown that many people on the list had 

 been added to it without due consideration and had no real use for 

 the publications. Out of a total of about 8.000 names replies were 

 received from less than 100, and of these it was necessary to make 

 provision for only about 20 persons who could actually show a real 

 use and need for all Farmers' Bulletins. The result was that approxi- 

 mately 8,000 copies of the initial edition of each Farmers' Bulletin 

 became available for distribution to applicants to this division. 



During the year there was a net reduction of 95,406 in the number 

 of names on the various mailing lists maintained at the Office of 

 the Superintendent of Documents, due to the activities of this depart- 

 ment in conducting the revision. In addition, a number of obsolete 

 lists, totaling 30,000 names, were destroyed, and a number of new 

 lists turned over to this division in connection with the consolidation 

 of the addressing work were established on stencil. Lists in the 

 addressing, duplicating, and mailing section of this division were 

 reduced by 20,000 names, while an additional 20,000 stenciled ad- 

 dresses w^ere transferred to the various field services. Arrange- 

 ments were made during the fiscal year for the establishment of a 

 new master index of names on lists to supersede the incomplete and 

 inaccurate index now in this division. When finallv established this 



