Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-14

ance, In the examining division, of the in
spection of money order accounts, whereby
the work of about five clerks at, say, 5000
per annum, may be dispensed with"
The Bill Prepared.
The reforms proposed. as outlined by the
foregoing report, are provided for in a bill
reported by Mr.. Dockery several days ago
and published in The Star at the time.
The bill has been carefully examined and
Is approved by the Postmaster General.
Section 1 of the bill abolishes the postal
note.
Section reduces the fees charged for
money orders and brings them to the same
basis as Is now charged by the various ex-
press companies. The reduction takes place
In the fees charged for orders exceeding 10
cents.
Section 3 proposes to reduce the fee paid
to postmasters for the issuing of money
orders to three cents. This applies to third
and fourth-clasS poStmaSterS, as first and
second-class postmasters at present-and
no change is made as to this provision-re-
ceive an allowance for clerk hire requisite
for the work that is done in the money
order business.
Section provides for turning into the
treasury, for the account of the Post Office
Department. the funds that are now held
by the latter on account of the numerous
unpaid domestic money orders and postal
notes accumulated since the organization
of the money order system, together with
an accurate accounting for the amount in
volved. The government has gone on re-
ceiying money for issuing these orders and
notes and paid 1t out as they have been
presented, and left to chance or guesswork
the question of the balance remaining un-
paid.
Section repeals the section of the stat
utes which now provides for the payment
of money order more than one year old
by issuing new order in lieu Of the old
one of the Postmaster General.
Section amends by adding to an exist
Ing section of the statutes the require
ment that postmasters shall attach to their
reports, to the auditor, of money orders
repaid at their offices. the advice sent to
the office upon which the order was drawn,
which. as a matter of course. must be re-
called for the purpose of preventing the
office to which the advice was sent report
ing the same to the auditor as unpaid, after
1t will have been in his hands more than a
year.
ute as to abolish the present form of ap-
plication for money orders and empowers
the Postmaster General to issue a form
requiring less writing and at only such
offices as there appears to be need Of hav
ing such form.
Section s changes an existing statute so
that reports from money order offices will
go direct to the auditor of the treasury for
the Post Office Department instead of going
through the Office of the superintendent Of
the money order system.
Section amends an existing statute
which provides for the Postmaster Generals 8
on such printed or engraved forms by add
ing that the form shall include coupon
which, when detached from the order, will
designate the amount that the order was
drawn for. 1t also provides that the coupon
shall be forwarded to the auditors office
with the postrnaster's report of money Or
ders sold.
Section 10 extends the facilities of the
proposed money order system as an office of
issue only, to small offices that are now en-
joying the use of the postal note, and that
are not regularly designated as money or
der offices. There are about 100 Of these
offices, and the provision will afford facili-
ties for transmitting money without which
there would be some inconvenience.
Sestion IL provides for a means Of paying
for lost money orders which are covered
now by a section OF the Revised Statutes, but
which need some modification to adapt them
to the changed conditions resulting from
covering into the treasury the amount of
outstanding unpaid orders more than a year
old.
Immediately after the reading of the
journal in the House this morning Mr.
Dockery presented the report and called
UP the bill for consideration The report
was read at length, and Mr.. Dockery pre-
sented letters from the Postmaster Gen.
eral and the Secretary Of the Treasury
indorsing the bill.
The bill was then taken up and read by
sections. There was no debate, and the
bill was passed without division.