Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-02-27

through the mails at second-class rate,
where question arises as to its claims OF
admissibility; also investigation con-
corning the railway mail-serv.ce at diff
ferent points, and whather or hot star
route contractors and mail-carriers are
attending to their duty according to con-
tract.
You have no idea how many ground
less. complaints are made against the
postmasters in the smaller towns. Ere
quently letters are sent to the Post
master-General making all sorts Of
charges against postmaster, and upon
investigating the Inspector reports that
there Is quarrel in the village between
the complainant and the postmaster,
and the charge amounts to nothing, but
were made with the hope that the post
master would be removed; the COM
plainant in almost all cases being a man
or woman of less than average ability, but
with more than average disposition
to be disagreeable. 1t takes as much
time to investigate report of this kind
as it would to investigate an ordinary
mail depreciation. The work of this inn
portant bureau of the postal service and
its immensely may be better understood
when the reader recalls to mind the
fact that it is necessary to investigate
complaints concerning the obstruction
of the passage of the mail, the misuses
of the mail pouches, the losses Of mail
keys, the recovery of mail keys from
discontinued post-offices, the inspection
of letter pouches, the accounts of post
masters or their failure to promptly de-
posit postal funds, the use of cancelled
post-office stamps, the illegal possession
and sale of the United States post-offlce
stamps, the misuse of penalty envelopes,
forging or counterfeiting post-off1ce
stamps, irregularity in connection with
the registry business, complaints con-
corning the money-order business, the
inspection of money-order accounts, in
structing postmasters how to handle
money-order business, non-payment of
money-orders, charges and complaints
against employees of the railway mail
service and large number Of miscel-
laneous complaints entirely too numer-
Gus for minute mention.
The reader will readily understand
that it requires a man of a great deal
more than ordinary ability to be Chief
Post-Office Inspector. No man of ordi-
nary ability has ever been in the posi-
ton, but it has always been held by men
so well equipped with natural and &C.
qulred talents that any one of them
might well have been Postmaster Gen.
eral, and have administered the entire
department to the satisfaction of the
people. The present incumbent, Mr..
Rathbone, is very energetic, active,
tireless worker, who devotes many
hours outside of official requirements to
the supervision of the work in hand.
He possesses a remarkable memory of
names, dates and places, and this facul-
ty has enabled him to keep track of the
most important portions of the business
of his great Office without reference to
books, save for minute details and par
ticulars. Nearly all of the inspectors
now in the service have been selected
by Mr.. Rathbone from the ranks of the
employees of the Post-Off1ce Department.
In thus selecting men of practical postal
business experience rather than from
the outside world on account Of political
influence Mr.. Rathbone has done WISE
~ and well, and greatly improved the
inspection service. SMITH d. Fry.