40 THE NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL. 



hand corner. Every card will contain a memorandum or reference of sufficient 

 definiteness to give a clear understanding of the promised action to anyone 

 who may be required to complete it. 



If the promise can not be fulfilled on the designated date, the person to 

 whom it was made will be so informed, and the card will be re-dated for action 

 and changed to the time guide for the new date. 



When the action promised is long in advance or dependent upon contingen- 

 cies not yet developed, it will be found useful to file the card so that it falls 

 due at short intervals until the promise is fulfilled. 



If when the promise is fulfilled no letter is required, the card will be checked 

 and filed with the papers pertaining to the case; but if the record is completed 

 by the filing of a carbon the card will be destroyed. 



Follow-Up System. 



The same equipment will be used to follow up action requested, and the 

 follow-up cards will be prepared and filed in the same way as promise cards. 



Bequests to Field Officers. 



To follow up requests to field officers for reports or action a white postal card 

 (Form 326) and three yellow slips, 3 by 5 inches, will be used. 



The date, case heading or subject, and key initials of the office will be en- 

 tered on the slips and card by carbon duplication and the card forwarded to the 

 supervisor with the request for report or action. 



One slip will be filed in the office promise-card box two weeks ahead, as a 

 reminder, the other two will be sent with the card to the supervisor. He 

 will place the card and one slip in his promise-card box and send the other to 

 the ranger concerned. 



The ranger will enter the date on which work will reach the supervisor and 

 return the slip. The supervisor will place this slip in his box as a promise 

 from the ranger, destroy the other slip, enter on the card the date on which he 

 will take the action required, and sign and mail the card as a post card to the 

 District Forester. 



The reminder slip will be destroyed in the district office and the card filed 

 under the date given by the supervisor. 



CARBONS. 



Carbon copies will constitute the only record of outgoing correspondence. 

 One carbon of every outgoing letter and telegram will always be kept in the 

 office files. 



Each letter written in the district office for the signature of the Secretary 

 or the Forester will be prepared with three carbon copies. Two will be sent 

 to Washington with the letter for signature and the other held in a waiting 

 file by the file clerk. After the letter is signed the signature will be stamped on 

 both carbons, one carbon filed In the Washington office and the other returned 

 to the district office, where the carbon in the waiting file will be destroyed. 



Carbons Mailed for Information. 



Every letter written to a District Forester which concerns the business of a 

 particular Forest or refers to any specific case will be accompanied by a carbon 

 copy for transmittal to the supervisor, with such supplemental remarks or in- 

 structions as the District Forester may wish to add. 



A carbon copy of every letter written in the Washington office to any person 

 outside of the Service which concerns business in a district will be mailed to 

 the District Forester. In case it refers to business on a particular Forest two 

 copies will be sent, one for the district files and the other for transmittal to 

 the supervisor. 



Supervisors should always be sent copies of letters written in the district 

 office which concern their Forests. Whenever a letter written by the District 

 Forester to a supervisor concerns a ranger's work an extra carbon will be made 

 for the ranger. 



Instructions in Carbons. 



Great care must be taken in all correspondence to avoid writing a separate 

 letter when a carbon copy would suffice. Since carbons received in this way 

 may contain important instructions, the recipients should always read them 

 carefully. 



