New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-09-23

hands Of their friends "A great many
men do not care to subject themselves
/ to the humiliation Of asking friends to
be security for their honesty in Office.
They would be perfectly willing to pay
a percentage Of their salaries for this
accommodation if it could be put on a
business basis But business arrange
ments in matters Of this kind are posi-
bic only with surety companies. There
fore the postmasters would like to have
| at least the privilege Of applying to
these companies for their bonds.
: From $500 to $500, 900.
The bonds Of postmasters range from
$500 to $500, 600, the latter amount
representing the security given by the
postma ster at New York city for the
honest performance of his duties. There
are 20, 900 postmasters, and the bonds
they give aggregate 500, 1000, 900. The
sureties are obliged to qualify in double
the amount Of the bond, SO the wealth
represented in the bond division of the
postofice department. at Washington Is
about $3.50, 100000. The postmasters
are not the only bonded officers of the
postofice department. The inspectors
give bonds of IS, 600 each, aggregating
$500. 900, and the letter carriers give
bonds Of 81, 900 each, aggregating $40, 5
100000. To keep all of these bonds
Strengthened out, and to make reason
ably sure their value as securities, is
gigantic task
The chief labor is in keeping the post
masters bonds in order, for they involve
a greater territory and a larger amount
of money than the other bonds. In the
case Of the $500 presidential postof-
fees the bonds are examined by, the de-
partment inspectors, who visit the cities
in which the bonds have been made and
| inquire about the standing of the sure
ties on them. The bonds of the smaller
pOstmasters are examined in detail only
as cause for suspicion arises, and it hap
pens sometimes when a postmaster abb
seconds that the department learns that
his bondsmen are not good for the
amount of his. defalcation. This is used
as an argument in favor of accepting
surety companies as bondsmen. The
standing and capital of surety COM
pany having been proved, the depart
ment would be justified in accepting it's
bonds to a certain amount, to be deter
! mined by the postmaster general. If one
company became in this way the secur-
ity for 10000 postmasters, an investi-
CATION Of that company would be equiv
alent to the investigation Of more than
40, 900 bondsmen under the present sys-
tenn. ~ r."
John Wanamaker's Plan. =
Express companies, railroad compa-
MES, banks and other concerns which
handle large sums of money recognize
the desirability Of having bonds from
surety companies; in fact many Of them
insist on having these bonds and in some
cases wealthy corporations themselves
pay the premiums for the bonding of all
Of their employees When Mr.. Wanna
maker was postmaster general, he was
heartily in favor Of accepting bonds
from surety companies. The chief argu-
ment used in opposition is that if such
a bond was accepted the regulation
which provides that a postofice shall
be turned over to the bondsmen of an
absconding postmaster till a new post
AAC1oUC4 NO dppOAAUCu WOu1u udtS ~ U0
changed. Mr.. Wanamaker strongly rec
commended that assistant postmasters
be made bonded officers Of the govern
ment. IF this were done, the assistant
postmaster would succeed to the charge
Of the postoffice in case the postmaster
absconded. ~< - s@.@.>
sss "a a Constant Menace to Life.
The addition to the government print
ing office ordered by the last congress is
abouttompleted, and 2, 500 Of the 1000
government employees at Washington
are rejoicing that congress did not leave
them to be engulfed in possible ruin.
They would have been better pleased,
though, if congress had made an appro-
priation for a new building. There is
not space in the present building for the
storage Of the work turned out by the
printing Office, and storerooms have to
be rented for that purpose. The, transfer
Of thousands Of books to these storerooms
and from them to the caDitOl as they are