The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-08
THE NEW ORLEANS P0sT0FFICE.
An Establishment in Which There Is Neither
Organization, Discipline Nor Honesty.

WASHINGTON, Aug THE special commits
sion which has been investigating the condition
and management of the New Orleans postofice
submitted a report to the Postmaster general to-
day The commissioners say in their report
that they found the facilities Of the Office ample
but the force employed isineffcient through lack
Of proper training. Organization or discipline,
they say, does not exist in the Office, and they
add that they found everything arranged ap-
parently more for the personal convenience of
the clerks than for the necessities of business.
They say the postmaster possesses but limited
knowledge of the actual work of the Office, and
makes little or no effort to inform him
self of the necessities of the service
rarely visiting the working floor and seldom CON
sulting with his subordinates; also, that while
too much ought not to be expected Of the assist
ant postmaster, in view of his comparatively re-
cent appointment, yet they feel constrained to
say that his selection for the place was unwise
because of his inferior Judgment lack of dis
cretion and inability to maintain discipline
They further say they found the mailing divis-
ion witheutorgan or discipline; mail mat
ter, especially newspapers, being badly handled
and delayed; that no account has been kept of
mail sacks, which latter, in many cases, were be-
ing unawfuly used by persons other than en-
ployes, they 1.-THE commissioners having found
one hundred and forty of them in junk shops, and
others used as cotton packages or made
into hammocks. They express the opinion that
the want of energy on the part of the chief of
this division is, in part owing to the failure of
his superiors to support him. They say, also.
that the Office of collection clerk, with q salary
of 5000, has been held for some time past by
George w. Merchant son of the postmaster,
who has rendered very little service, his work
having been done by others; and they add that
this Office is entirely unnecessary, and should be
abolished. They report having found an EN-
ploye carried on the rolls as porter
detailed as detective who rendered no
service himself, but who had hired an old colored
man at So per month to do little sweeping,
that being the service which calls for
the employment of porter, and they recon-
porter be abolished They also recommend that
the title of the official known as asecre
tary and auditor" be changed to "of-
fcial secretary and that the salary Of the
Office be reduced from 81, 500 to $1,000 per an
mum. They recommend increases in salaries of
certain clerks, aggregating 81 100 per annum,
and reductions aggregating 81, 400 They also
depredations on mails at this Office and the fail
ure Of the postmaster to report
and say, with respect to this branch
Of their investigation, that it was
found just before their yisit that fifteen letters
addressed to M. A. Dauphin. had been distracted
from the mails in the Office; that circumstances
pointed almost conclusively to the son Of the
postmaster as the person who stole them; that
when the facts were reported to the postmaster
he obtained possession Of and burned certain
fragments Of the missing letters, thereby de-
stroying important evidence against the guilty
person, but he afterwards promised to exclude
his son permanently from the Office.