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

involving the payment If money,
from the millions appropriated fol
pensions and war ships, down to the
smallest money order, has to be passed
upon by officials Of the Treasury De
psrtment before the matter is finally
settled. To audit this enormous mum
Der of ,ills, involving several hundred
millions of dollars each yesr, the
Treasury Department is provided
with six divisions Of accountants,
each having its own branch Of the
public service to look after.
The Sixth Auditor, now officially
known ss "The Auditor for the rost
Office Department" requires from 450
to 500 assistants to keep track 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, Mr..
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 10 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
wio issued the orders.
After the accounts are settled the
orien are tied up in bundles and
kept for at least ten years. Two
hundred and twenty-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
mlttee into the mode of conducting
the work Of the governments, mum
Der OF changes have been made in tn
Sixth Auditors Office. The old posta
notes have been done away with, an'
new money order has been issue'
with requires but a single checking
and that against the paying Office
| When a postmaster sends in the or
ders paid during the week, he sends
list Of them also. II the returne
orders tally with..the list the account
closed and that is the end of th
transac
For the use Of pos.masters the o.
ders are bound up in book form
Between the order and the stub are
series Of coupons representing dollar
and cents The order is torn off
such way that the coupons att ache
to it will represent the amount e
which the order is drawn. The stub
are sent in with the reports Of the is
uipg postmaster and if the coupon
missing from the stub correspond wit
the amount given on the list his a
count also 10 balanced. This plsi
borrowed from the United States f.
press Company, saves a vast amour
Of work, and reduces the number
people employed in the old "assortir
division by nearly hundred. III
domestic money order system iuclud
over 10000 post offices, and handl
each year from slo0, 100000 to $40
100000
/ Another branch Of the auditor
, ofhce, 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 RUSS
Mexico and the South AmericI
Republics. These countries do n
even have domestic systems. VIII
a postmaster is asked for forei
0 order he gives the applicant a recei
for the sum, and he draws an orc
upon New York if the money is to
= paid in Europe, or upon San FRI
= cisco fit is to be psid in Asia. !
n New York or San Francisco off
:. will send a copy of the order to
y exchange Office in the proper count
and in that country the nearest pc
q master will be directed to pay
It money to the person for whom it
:. intended. In many countries, as
IT Germany, it is taken directly to
'r house of the party. There is no or
d given to be mailed by the purcha
N directly to the payee, as is the C
a with domestic orders.
"a For the Canadian business tn
g. are six exchange offices, extend
M from Bangor to Settle, and ord
are drawn upou the nearest exchar
Office. The force auditing the dom
|. tic accounts requires some three h
dred clerks. while bakers dol
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