New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-14
III the departmental service '''

mission to employ three experts to assist it and
"o'h out the details of the proposed plan OF re-
ioi'n AS the result of careful inquiry. personal
observation and deliberate consideration the COM
e. w. Haskins and T. ". Sells Partisan con- n,
ni1uu,,iiatohs had no weight whatever in these Sc
members OF the Republican party, but all Of
poiiic are simply business men and by no means
b ir Reinhart has National reputation and his
ifyp'ols are widely known and freely recognized.
santa F f,e Prsslen Of The AtGhis9n Topeka ana
ohle occupy so much OF his time that ne is on.y
WORK 20 %, exercise general supervision over the
III ~ 'he commission with his advice and suggestions
compen s inereiore declined to 9ccept any fixed
t GO tented whatever may be the amount offered
Mr. HasEns has beep Is an Hpert accountant for
the l lesdin wehyye years anl is vel known among
aa,blest and most thorough in his profession
Of oie mas mad charge of the accounting Departments
E Eorth River Construction Company, the Nicaragua
Iron CONTAIN n1 has apn GdoT of the cbsrs
'S SH Terminal a Railway Company ana from ls2 to
and Buffalo Railroad Company. At the time of his
,plr nj @ BY The 9nt commission ne was treas;
t ,ne Augusta Iron Company of Georgia and Ala
s. ono ysn each Of hch ne c We salary Of
TO 800 year as ar expert accountant These facts
asKns 10 se na' a ade hs he Ss
the highest possible qualifications for the intricate
Mr. Sells is also an expert accountant, and for
n S Sad eSe ears eae w h I'd Mens
FOR I'VE years he was auditor of the Colorado Mid
poyed at different periods in the accounting de-
partments of the Oregon Railway and Navigation
Company and several other railroad companies in
the West. The thorough business training and long
experience of Mr.. Sells have made him peculiarly
and thoroughly qualified for his present work
BEGINNING THE INVESTIGATION
After their appointment early last summer the
experts spent several months In studying and COM
pairing the laws and rules and regulations which
govern the administration of the several executive
departments. bureaus and offices in Washington.
and in inspecting and familarizing themselves by
personal observation and inquiry with the methods
of doing business many of which as business men
they found be inefficient and inadequate
we'll obsolete and cumbersome. The laws APP
pcable to one department were found to differ
from the laws relating to another department. and
rules and regulations as well as the methods Of do
ing business found 10 be radically different
in different departments and even in different bu-
reaus OF the same department. IL Was hhahy de-
cided to begin operations by thorough invcsiiga-
non 81 n h sS. an" LAM ronor ~ az th oI
IN that department is TO examine and pass upon
the work OF the other executive departments and
Government Offices.
The first bureau examined the Sixth Audit
investication of the methods Of doi.s business in
the money -order branch Of the 'ostonice Depart
mted a report the sixth Auditors office and
the money order service to The joint commission. In
which several important recommendations were
submitted with view To greater efficiency and
posnlasters' accounts Among the recommendations
was one TO consolidate the work Of the sixth
Auditors office To have 1t distributed among
eight divisions instead OF ten. as AT present. and
TO abolish certain methods which. In the opinion Of
the experts. only expensive. but wholly un-
necessary obstacles TO tn prompt settlement OF ac-
counts.
WHAT THE EXPERTS FOUND.
For example. there Is one division known as the
asserting division. in which no less than hf,y-nine
y faf
Division forty-seven are clerks OF different grades
and eleven are otherwise employed. The chief r.
ceives s. 900 year. three clerks receive Ni0J each.
five receive 81 200 each fourteen receive oo) each
twelve receive 500 each five receive $50 each and
eight receive $40 each. This makes total OF
as $50 a year. Now what these clerks DO Is simply
to arrange numerically and by postoniccs the
money orders which have been paid cancelled and
returned by postmasters to the Postofice Depart,
niene mrd.rs her"re rhsv reach The asserting
division. pass through the inspecting DIVISION III
which they checked against the credits claimed
by postmastcrs who issued them. and through the
recording division, when each one of them l.! cn-
tered in ledger From the asserting division tn,
same pieces Of paper are passed TO a GnsgNh b
division. when they are aFaIl GheSKe1 asnaSa t IT,
sued.
consisting of a chief ana hfty-siX ci-rkS, "n ms
annual salaries amount to tptal OF S.nNN. me
recording division has "A fore" consisting "i
chief and sixty,nins cer ts o Whose Et3,N nn,
division has a force consisting Of chief and thirty
ye <qe @ TN annual cost Of Inspecting recording
asserting and checking paid money orders anu
postal notes therefore am9uhs IT, NOR ina" N-'''
OF the recommendations OF the experts
which. II adopted. would enable IN" Government
The Sixth Auditors Office five CLERKS I'm the finance
division OF the Third Assistant Posimasier-,irn-
erals Office i've clerks In The Office Of the super
intend"nt Of the Money order system. AMI t"9
chiefs of divisions in the sixth AUDITORS o;'ce ana
effect yearly reduction 81 az ieast s'v' ~ Sdi
aries alone we're stouy objected to by the o;h9iais
concerned, and the objections were submitted TO
the Joint Commission In writing. ant aft"rward
orally. In the course Of the oral eXaminati9n me
jcctions submitted by him were based not upon his
own knowledge of the work done In his ofce
but upon opinions of tn chiefs of the respective
divisions. This was necessarily he cas-" because.
having been only sh2T' nr IN me One 10 %c n
itical considerations. he was compelled to depend
Who natiraIv onnoscd any cbanen ,ynicb would
reduce the clerical force"
RECOMMENDATIONS ALREADY MADE.
After full consideration and after having con-
suited with the chairman of the House Committee
on Post Offices and with General Bingham Of
Pennsylvania. who was formerly chairman of that
committee and who is one Of the best Informed
men In Congress far as postal affairs and ad-
mnistration are concerned both OF whom agree
with the experts. the joint commission unanimously
approved their report and recommendations. II the
proposed changes are accepted and approved by
congress yearly saving OF AT least N%J.Wo year
in salaries alone will be effected In the three oices
before mentioned. and the accounts of postmasters
and for transportation Of the mails viii be settled
far more expcdously than they now and that
without removing any safeguards necessary Tor
the protection OF the interests OF the government
one OF the most important recommendations IN
the report Is that the issuing OF postal notes shall
be discontinued and that money orders for any sum
not exceeding $3.50 shall be issued upon payment
OF a fee of three cents which is the fee charged
postal note Il exceeding =. Ihc
average OF the postal notes issued last year was
only 81 IS each, so that "A very large proportion OF
all the notes issued must have been for sums not
exceeding & 20 each. cogent and what Will appear
10 many persons upon examination to be salts
factory reasons for d?cOntinung the use Of postal
notes, which ofer no security whatever for the safe
transmission Of small sums through the malls ana
substituting money orders therefor given In the
report of the experts. who also submit "A plan for
simplifying the methods Of the money order service
and recommend that no commission be allowed ~
postmasers for the payment Of money orders.
THE GIRL FROM VIRGINIA.
Washington Letter to The Boston Transcript.
1lI1nnr II N.,,..i h..a haen