DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS. 393 



new Ifiboratory are not realized, another effort for a suitable struc- 

 ture should be made. 



Another outstandinp: need — a very serious one if the personnel is 

 to be maintained — is increased salaries for some of the workers in 

 the office and laboratory. 



ADDRESSING, DUPLICATING, AND MAILING SECTION. 



A consolidation of the addressing and duplicating work of the 

 entire department was ordered in the fiscal year 1921, but it was not 

 until the summer of 1921 that the consolidation was finally accom- 

 plished, and it was not until January 1, 1922, that the consolidated 

 unit was thoroughly organized. 



As a result of the consolidation surplus material and ecjuipment to 

 the approximate value of $20,000 was collected from the various 

 bureaus and turned over by this division to the General Supply 

 Committee after provision was made for the needs of the division for 

 as long ahead as it was possible to see them. The consolidation has 

 been siiccessful in every way, in spite of the difficulties involved in 

 bringing into one organization employees from a number of bureaus. 

 The output of the consolidated unit has been considerably in excess of 

 the total output of the units before the consolidation. The output per 

 machine and per man has been the object of special attention, with 

 the result that there has been an increased efficiency on the part of 

 the various operators. ■* The waste of paper has been cut by careful 

 management from approximately 4 per cent to less than 1 per cent. 



Considerable difficulty has been experienced in providing necessary 

 stocks of paper for use in the work. The total amount of paper used 

 is ver}' large, and this division has not had adequate funds to keep 

 sufficient stocks on hand. It became necessary, therefore, to secure 

 the Secretary's authority to call upon bureaus for whom work is 

 done to buy, in advance, paper up to the estimated amount of work to 

 be done and to credit each bureau with this amount after the work 

 has been performed. This method was worked out fairly well and is 

 expected to prove effective during the coming fiscal year. Difficulty 

 was experienced toward the end of the fiscal year in securing paper, 

 but it was possible to obtain stocks of certain needed sizes from other 

 sources than the General Supply Committee and tide over the emer- 

 gency. 



It was expected that the consolidation Avould result in material 

 saviniT in the number of people employed on the addressing and 

 duplicating work. Ex)3criencp has shown, however, that demand in 

 the department for this work is exceedingly heavy and the increased 

 facilities provided by the consolidated section have merely resulted 

 in increasing the output. The section has been called upon to handle 

 an exceedingly large number of jobs, of which 43 per cent have 

 been rush work on which delivery was demanded on the same day the 

 has been performed. This method was worked out fairly well and is 

 ."Satisfactory service under the.se conditions. A canvass of all bu- 

 reaus of the department made toward the end of the fiscal year, in 

 which criticisms of the service were invited, failed to uncover a 

 single complaint. 



