The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1885-07-25
DISHONEST POsTMAsTERs.
Defaleasioa N the OMlees aaa Elow
They Occur.
fWaaAin.ao. na.A


moved we're disIn issed because 0f de-
falcati1ns. "You must not Imagine,
however, said prominent PostofEi-s
Department Official to Post reporter
who sought enlightenment on the
subject, s.that the postal employees are
as rule dishonest. think they are
remarkably honest. II IL Qnite true
tina we oftener hear aud Fsad Of arr
rests among them for aias Of dis
honesty than among any. Other class
Of overnment employees. But the
the reason Is not far 70 seek and is v~ry
simple when found. There are 62 900
po~toffices OF all classes, and conso
quently 81. 900 p0stmasterr. No mat
ter how small his office each post
master must have at least oae assist
ant. Add 70 these lO4, 100 postmas-
ters aud assistant postinastsrs all the
clerks EN- ployed In the various Offices,
and the 1000 clerks In the railway
mail service, and you will have n
grand total Of about 200, 900 people
eIn nployed in the postal service outside
Of the general department In this clty.
1.-The number of custom house or
internal revenue officers is insignlfi-
rant In com pari.On. No wonder, then,
that there should be actually more
dishonest officials in the postoftices
than In any other single brancn of
the public service; hut the proportion
Is certainly not greater, and probably
less. Tue percentage Of dishonest post
office employees will astonish YOU.
do not minimize 1t In placing IL at
little, IL any. above one. fifth of 100
per cent. This is the more remsrka-
Bile when II il considered that post
office clerks Lave special opnortunI-
ties, AMI therefore special emptations
To steal. They handle not only the
funds of the Government, but every
body's money, aud under circumstan-
css ~ hitch really justify them In feel
ing that uiIsappropriation will not
Du detected. There are not required
To give receipls. a. most custoui- house
officers, through whose hands money
passs-, are obliged 20 do.
~ have no lse-itAtiOns in saying
that The Government loses less 10y the
pecuIations of its Postotiice employees
than do private business firms EN-.
pioS ing All equal number OF clerks,
Tue fdelity With which the works 10
conducted Is evidenced by the fact
that tie amount charged to bad debts
aud compromise on account OF bal
Iances due by postmAsters, which &C.
Cured from July !, 1877, 10 Sept. 30,
1854 q period OF seven years and three
months, WAS only little over s22 900,
10 which should be added = further
estimated loss of s., 900 on account Of
balances in suit, maKing q total loss
Of 81, 900. or about one tenth of one
nI.Ii on every dollar OF revenue col
lecLeu. The losses were only 81 out
of every $4,000 OF The rsvenue."
"How do detalcatIOns generally
ariseI"
zine usal way Is when postInas-
Lers In solne pIhch Tor funds use the
poslotfic. money with the Intention
of returning II. But having Used It
they nnd II easier 10 20 DEEPER still
lnan Io sa,e or procure the means OF
Uaiancing their accounts. And then
tney 10 from quarter To quarter, c"n
cealIng the deficiency as best they
can, until come p0stOftice Inspector
DROPS III upon them unawares and
let's the secret out. In the most cases,
n the ,os masters have All Inkling at
the Inspectors visit, they contrlSe . IN
some way 10 obtain the money to
make their accounts square. Tne
inspectors, on finding deficiency,
simply says: Make this good or
shall go 10 your suretles, and In
nearly every care he has no occasion
10 carry out his thrsat. Thus It hap
psns that the Government seldom
suffers ioss."
"In " hat class of postoffices do de.
falcatiUns ofLeHest occurf"
In the second class. These are
paid all the way from 81 900 To Sz,OOO.
rhey gu 10 class oi men who desire
to h.e we'll, Tut have not political
importance enough to obtain post
office OF higher grade. The salary IL
not quite sufficient 10 meet their wants
auu so there are led into nlisappro'
prIatIon of the money intrusted 10
them. The fourlh-class Offices pay
very little, and are generally desired
by men IN small business rs q sort Of
advertising adjunct, and consequently
few defalcations occur. The omces
Of the third GLASS are held in small
towns, where modest style of living
prevails, anu are also usually tilleu by
men VINO have other business. The
first class offices, of which there are
aAatR gAN