Mr. MOLLOY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

OFFICE OF THE POSTMASTER

WITNESSES

ROBERT V. ROTA, POSTMASTER,

C. ELMO BOYDSTON, ASSISTANT POSTMASTER

Mr. COLLEY. Mr. Chairman, we go to page 20 of the Clerk's statement, Office of the Postmaster.

For salaries, including employment of substitute messengers and extra services of regular employees for the Office of the Postmaster, $1,403,100.

Mr. Chairman, our House Postmaster, the Honorable Robert V. Rota, is here to discuss the operations of the House Post Office, and we will place this table of appropriations and expenditures in the record.

[The information follows:]

OFFICE OF THE POSTMASTER

For salaries, including employment of substitute messengers and extra services of regular employees for the Office of the Postmaster, $1,403,100. Mr. Chairman, our House Postmaster, the Honorable Robert V. Rota, is here to discuss the operations of the House Post Office.

POSTMASTER'S STATEMENT

Mr. ROTA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I ask unanimous consent that I might be granted permission to

submit for the record my prepared statement.
Mr. BENJAMIN. We would appreciate that.
[The information follows:]

STATEMENT OF

ROBERT V. ROTA

POSTMASTER

OF THE

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

FOR THE

FISCAL YEAR 1981 BUDGET

OF THE

HOUSE POST OFFICE

MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE, IT IS BOTH AN HONOR

AND A PLEASURE TO APPEAR BEFORE YOU AGAIN IN SUPPORT OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE

HOUSE POST OFFICE. IT IS AN HONOR BECAUSE I RESPECT THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE TO
HOLD DOWN SPENDING IN THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT. AND IT IS A
PLEASURE BECAUSE I AM ONCE AGAIN ABLE TO REPORT THAT THE HOUSE POST OFFICE IS
NOT REQUESTING ADDITIONAL FUNDS OVER THOSE OF LAST YEAR EXCEPT FOR AN INCREASE
OF $118,400 FOR MANDATORY COST-OF-LIVING AND LONGEVITY SALARY INCREASES. THE
TOTAL APPROPRIATION REQUESTED BY THE HOUSE POST OFFICE FOR FISCAL YEAR 1981
Is $1,403,100. THE HOUSE POST OFFICE IS NOT SEEKING ANY ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES
THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THE DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN PRODUCTIVITY SINCE I BECAME
YOUR POSTMASTER IN 1972.

MR. CHAIRMAN, I AM PROUD OF THE RECORD OF THE HOUSE POST OFFICE AND BELIEVE ITS PERFORMANCE REFLECTS CREDIT UPON ALL MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE. SINCE 1972, THE VOLUME OF MAIL PROCESSED HAS TRIPLED; THE NUMBER OF BUILDINGS SERVED HAS INCREASED BY 50%, FROM FOUR TO SIX; THE NUMBER OF MAIL STOPS SERVED HAS GROWN BY 61%, FROM 630 TO 1,016; AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ADD A TOTAL OF 15 NEW SERVICES ALL WITH AN INCREASE OF LESS THAN 3% IN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES PROCESSING MAIL 85 IN 1972 AND 89 IN 1979. BY EVERY MEASURE, THE WORK OUTPUT OF THE HOUSE POST OFFICE HAS IMPROVED ENORMOUSLY SINCE 1972, AND I AM DETERMINED TO SEE THAT WE DO EVEN BETTER IN THE MONTHS AHEAD.

-

THE HOUSE POST OFFICE HAS 98 EMPLOYEES. EIGHTY-SEVEN OF THESE

ARE GENERALLY CLASSIFIED AS MAIL HANDLERS; THIS COMPARES WITH 85 IN 1972 AND
INCLUDES THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SORT AND DELIVER THE MAIL, AS WELL AS THE
CLERKS WHO STAFF OUR FIVE FULL-SERVICE STATIONS. IN ADDITION, WE EMPLOY
EIGHT MAIL SECURITY SCANNERS WHO OPERATE THE SOPHISTICATED X-RAY AND

RADIATION DETECTION EQUIPMENT THAT IS USED TO CHECK ALL INCOMING MAIL FOR
EXPLOSIVE OR OTHERWISE DANGEROUS ARTICLES OR MATERIALS. OUR ADMINISTRATIVE
STAFF CONSISTS OF ASSISTANT POSTMASTER ELMO BOYDSTON, CHIEF STAMP TELLER
MARY BOWMAN, AND JOANNA O'ROURKE WHO IS OUR RECEPTIONIST AND SECRETARY.

TURNING TO THE WORKLOAD, THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON CONGRESSIONAL OPERATIONS CONDUCTED A DETAILED STUDY OF OUR ORGANIZATION IN 1977 AND ESTIMATED THAT INCOMING MAIL WAS OVER 100 MILLION ITEMS PER YEAR. WE WERE GLAD TO HAVE THIS OUTSIDE REVIEW OF MAIL VOLUME AS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY POLICY TO INSURE THAT THE MAIL IS DELIVERED TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES AS "QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IN SHORT, WE DON'T TAKE TIME TO COUNT IT IT. PRIOR TO THE JOINT COMMITTEE'S STUDY, THEREFORE, THE ONLY FIGURES WE HAD ON MAIL VOLUME WERE THOSE SUBMITTED BY THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE WHICH REFLECT ONLY ABOUT HALF OF TOTAL MAIL VOLUME.

-

WE DELIVER

ON THE SUBJECT OF MAIL VOLUME FIGURES, THE JOINT COMMITTEE STUDY NOTED THAT POSTAL SERVICE FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE "DEAR COLLEAGUE" LETTERS AND OTHER INSIDE MAIL. NEITHER DOES IT COUNT MAIL HANDLED BY SPECIAL COURIER

SERVICE BETWEEN THE HOUSE POST OFFICE AND THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, THE WHITE HOUSE, THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, OR THE STATE DEPARTMENT. DIRECTOR GUDE OF THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE INDICATES THAT MAIL FROM JUST THAT ONE UNIT OF THE LIBRARY TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IS ABOUT 200,000 ITEMS PER YEAR. FURTHER, THE POSTAL SERVICE FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE THE MANY GPO ITEMS HANDLED BY THE HOUSE POST OFFICE SUCH AS THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, LEGISLATIVE CALENDARS, TELEPHONE BOOKS, AND OTHER BOOKLETS.

FINALLY, WHEN A BOX CONTAINING THOUSANDS OF POST CARDS OR LETTERS IS RECEIVED FROM AN ORGANIZATION, AS IS HAPPENING WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY BECAUSE MORE ORGANIZATIONS ARE TURNING TO MASS MAILINGS, THIS IS REFLECTED IN POSTAL SERVICE FIGURES AS ONLY ONE ITEM OF MAIL. THE NUMBER OF CARDS AND LETTERS RECEIVED IN THIS FASHION TOTALS IN THE MILLIONS. IN ADDITION, BOXES OF MAIL OFTEN COME IN DIRECTLY FROM ORGANIZATIONS OR THROUGH THE UNITED PARCEL SERVICE, GREYHOUND AND TRAILWAYS, AND THE AIRLINES.

EVEN THOUGH POSTAL SERVICE FIGURES TELL ONLY ABOUT HALF THE STORY,

THE FIGURES ARE USEFUL FOR COMPARISON WITH EARLIER YEARS TO DETERMINE TRENDS IN MAIL VOLUME. THE POSTAL SERVICE FIGURES ARE NOT ENTIRELY COMPARABLE FROM YEAR TO YEAR; HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF CHANGES IN DEFINITIONS AND COUNTING PROCEDURES THAT HAVE OCCURRED OVER THE YEARS.

BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCE, 1980 WILL SET NEW RECORDS FOR MAIL VOLUME

AS THE INCREASED ACTIVITY OF AN ELECTION YEAR NORMALLY BRINGS A FLOOD OF LETTERS FROM CONSTITUENTS. BECAUSE THIS WILL ALSO BE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR, MAIL VOLUME WILL BE PARTICULARLY HEAVY. I PREDICT THAT TOTAL MAIL VOLUME