Evening star., 1893-12-09

NVA NY WH west he turned over
T !: ! : !: !: !: !:
| X%TL his Office to a success
| .WW AtNT sor and turned over
| MlITU his accounts to the
| lINI NIlllU government. The ac-
VWIM ~ counts went to the
lkIE auditors office and
| were put in pigeon
hole duly labeled to await their turn. They
were reached in the course of business in a
Few years and the controller, who passed on
them finally, disallowed several hundred
collars or John Smiths expenses. The mat
ter was referred to the district attorney in
the district where John Smith had had the
post ONCE and he was instructed to take
steps to collect. By the time the account
hao been audited and the papers had reach
ed the district attorney John Smith had
LETT the town and no one seemed to know
where he was living. One day the district
attorney heard that John Smith had come
10 town with load of hay. He was zeal
Gus district attorney and he hurried to get
out an attachment on the horses and tine
wagon and the hay. When the officer to
"hom the writ was given attempted to serve
IT, 1onn smith was very much surprised.
and when the matter was explained to him
he said; But I'm not that John Smith,
Aren't You the man who kept the post
|
newcomer m the town.
Il never kept a post office in INV life :"
said John Smith
| We'll. all l can do is to serve the writ I"
SAID the officer. You can settle the matter
with the district attorney"
! but when John Smith came to settle the
matter he found that he would have to go
through long legal process to get possess
SION Oh MS property. and he thought that
the quickest way was to pay the amount
uue the government and get it back again
when he could prove his identity. So he
PAID the money, with this understanding
ana sold his hay. Who should appear pres
entity but the ex-postmaster. He had moth
ing 10 attach John Smith No. went to
the district attorney and explained the mat
Ter TO him, expecting that his money would
be handed back.
My dear Mr.. Smith," said the district
attorney. you are undoubtedly right and
the money should not have been taken from
you But unfortunately it has now come in
TO possession of the United States and has
peen covered into the treasury. The only
way that it can possibly be got out is for
Congress to pass a bill for your relief"
| Il don't vouch for the accuracy of the
| story" said Expert Haskins the other day
| but that is about the way the government
does business"
| MIR. Haskins is one of the experts who are
now engaged in an effort to reform the de-
partment methods at Washington and to
ig Drihg the department. work up to date.
| There are three of these experts and they
are working under the supervision of the
commission, composed of three Senators and
three members OF the House. appointed by
congress to investigate department meth
! DDS The nrst Of these three experts is Mr.
! Relnharut, the president of the Atchson,
| Topeka and Sante Fe railroad The rail
road company pays him s15,oo0 a year for
| MS services. ami the commission pays him
| nothing; so he devotes most of his time to
| the railroad. But he exercises a careful SUI
! perVlsion over the work of the other two
| experts, MIR. Hashins and Mr. Sells. Both
! of these gentlemen have had experience i'm
railroad work; both are skilled accountants
Mr.. Haskins is the large, round-f faced man
with the bristling blonde mustache the
| rather bald head and the healthy complex
. ion who moves apout nervously in his cha ir
| when he is talking, and gets up occasional
| ~ TO take turn up and down the room.
| Mr.. Sells is the smaller man with the
smooth face. the twinkling eye and the ex-
pressiye mouth. They balance each other
! well. They are strong team.
| Ever since 1850 the government has been
| endeaEorinS to simplify" the methods of
| business of the departments. The work
was usually undertaken by the department
ofnclals; and they had every reason to be
| satisfied with the existing condition of af-
fairs; so reforms never went very far The
| experts who are doing the work now are
| not department people. They have no in
.eresl Win the department people. and no
! sympathy with department methods In
| 1act, they have about strong a disgust
for the system as they can possibly have.
| Sanctioned by Time.
Department methods are unique A man
| who has been accustomed to them for a
number of years usually thinks that they
are very excellent methods and quite i'm
possible of improvement. A man who comes
here to take a department position hears
mat they have prevailed for century. and
he looks on them with some respect. Your
| expert, fresh from the management of real
| business matters for active business con-
Germs. looks into the department methods
| and is nlled with horror. A few days ago
in the course of the investigation which is
| being made into the work of a particular
| once the head of the office, a recent an
| pointee, was asked TO make a report of the
| system that was used He made most
| glowing defense of it. where do Won get
your facts?" said the experts. He had re
! led on his division chiefs he said And
| they Well, it proved, on investigation,
| that as they, too were new to the depart
ment work, they had relied on the old clerks
| in their offices And the old clerks? Oh
they were perfectly satisfied with the ex-
| listing condition of things
| The experts have got through only two
offices up to date-the sixth auditors Office
| in the Post Once Department and the GUS
| toms division of the Treasury Department
| In the sixth auditors office they recon-
| mended a great many changes. all of which
| have been agreed to by the Post Office De-
| nartment and the Treasury Department so
! they are to go into effect almost imme-
diately. Then they wanted to have tho
! postal note abolished and the rate for the
| money order reduced and a number OF
| other important changes in Post Office De-
| partment methods made. The first assist
| ant held mp his hands and the head of the
| money order division held up his hands and
| both exclaimed against the proposition
| There was n pretty lively session in the Of
! fee Of the Postmaster Gen aral in which
! the experts and the commission and the
/ Postmaster General and the denartment Of
| icials took part. When the annual renort
| OF The first assistant was made -nblic q
! f"w davS later he had recommended what
| the eyperts suggested. AMI. rs said the
| changes in the mat hods of the sixth an
d'tor "re to be mada and the wort, is 70 10
simrlifei 60 that ine'ead If being ranv
| months behind il can he brought IN 70 aat
Incidont"''v fortv-nne mon will lCse .ba;r
places They will remain in the office until
I""a 20 ha"a"se there ie on onnuaI ammo
nriaton wh'cf, providee for then, ,,r, 70 tbot
t'me. Rnt when the recommendations for
| tn" foliow''n" year 20 in these fortv-one
| salaries will be omitted.
Reducing the Force
i III