Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1895-10-31
The sixth Auditor.

Washington, ID. G. Oct. 30.-Every
business Transaction oftbe government
involving the payment If money,
from the millions appropriated for
pensions and war ships, down to the
smallest money order, has to be paSed
upon BY officials of the Treasury De
partment before the matter ID finally
settled. To audit this enormous num-
~ Of Ills, involving several hundred
nlllisss Of dollars each yesr, the
Treasury Department b provided
With iz divisions Of accountants,
sssh having it own branch Of the
public ssrvics 10 look after.
- axsA AsdIsss, ssw sficiaIly
known - The Auditor fur the iost
0ncs Department. requires from 46O
- 800 sssissanss 10 keep tack Ct the
business Of that branch Of the service
alone. When the quantity Of busi-
ness done each. year is understood it
will be seen that these officials find
plenty Of work TO do to learn their
salt"
When the present auditor, MIR.
George A. Howard, assumed the
duties Of his Office, he found himself
confronted with an accumulation Of
thirty.fye millions of paid money
orders. which had to be first assorted
by the paying Offices and compared
with reports Of postmasters who paid
the orders, and then reassorted by the
issuing officers and compared with the
reports sent in by the postmasters
who issued the orders.
After the accounts are settled the
orders are tied up in bundles and
kept for at least ten years. Two
hundred and twen.y-four tons OF
orders issued between 1864 and 1884
have Just been sold as waste paper,
realizing the government $3.50.
As the result Of the investigation
of the "Dockery" Congressional com
mittee into the mode Of conducting
the work Of the governments, num-
Der OF changes have been made in the
Sixth Auditors office. The old postal
notes have been done away with, and
a new money order has been issued
with requires but a single checking
and that against the paying Office
When a postmaster sends in the or
der paid during the week. be sends
list Of them also. II the returned
orders tally wiih.the Inst the account
closed and that is the end Of tn
transaction.
For the use of poetmssters the oil
ders are bound up in book form
Between the order and the stub are
series ofcoupons representing dollar
and cents. The order is torn off i
such a way that the coupons att ache
to it will represent the amount 70
which the order is drawn. The stub
are sent in with the reports Of the Isl
uipg postmaster and if the coupon
missing from the stub correspond wit
the amount given on the list his az
count also 10 balanced. This plar
borrowed from the United States +,
lpress Company, saves a vast amour
of work, and reduces the number {
people employed in the old "assortin
division" by nearly a hundred. I'll
domestic money order system includ'
over 10000 post offices, and handle
each year from $3.50, 600. 600 to 500
900, 900.
| Another branch of the auditor
ONCE, the Foreign Money Ord
Division" looks after the foreign e
change, for in the principle post offic
: OF the country you can now purcha
money order upon almost Al
civilized country except Rpssi
Mexico and the South A.neric,
Republics. These countries do n
even have domestic systems. Wht
a postmaster is asked for foreii
, order he gives the applicant recei
for the sum, and he draws an ord
upon New York If the money is to
paid in Europe, or upon San Fra
I cisco fit is to be paid in Asia. I
a New York or San Francisco off
:. will send a copy of the order to t
J exchange office in the proper count
and in that country the nearest pc
q master will be directed to pay I
t money to the person for whom it
;. intended. In many countries, as
n Germany, it is taken directly to
n house Of the party. There is no orr
d given to be mailed by the purchal
n dire tly to the payee, as is the C
q with domestic orders.
is Fo the Canadian business tn
g. are sh exchange offices, extendi
m from Bangor to Settle, and ord
are drawn upou the nearest exchar
Office. The force auditing the dom