The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
z. Q. SNAPS TO BE cur OFF
oxr RRaULr OF OONsOILDhT1O1
lBOUT NEW HORK.

IBOUr NEW YORK.
po.t-s,,ers VIII ne Ma LonEcr Able te mat,
NEoney ~ DividinE Commissions WITH Lars
'uJsern or tamps-A Practice That AGects tn
Revenue OF the New York once eeriousiy
WASHINGTON, Dec. 49," There is ono point
said nm old inspector OF the Post Ofico Depart
ment, :. that The SUN has not yet brought ou
In, connecti n with the consolidation OF thu
smaller Post Ofices around Now York with tn,
Now York Office. Nevertheless, It 10 one tina
concerns every Post Office, largo or small. 1th
that by consolidating the smaller Post ohicei
with the larger ones tho department expects u
do away, to q great extent, at least, with the
systematic robbery which 1t is now unable u
prevent. Imean by this the traffic in stamps h1
which the gross receipts Of the smaller ofioe'
arc swollen to undue proportions and the Post
masters salary correspondinRly Increased
whilo the larger offices do tho work.
This practice is carried on around all large
cities, but especially in and about New York
and It results in great injustice to the Post
master and the Post Office of New York. Ash
we'll known, In the smaller fourth class office,
tho Postmasters are paid In proportion to the
stamps cancelled. In tho larger fourth class Of
fees and tho Presidential offices the salary 10
dependent on the receipts. Take a small ofics
in the ncighborhood OF New York. Tho Post
"HSIeT uepGUuh Oh ub ChuCOtlhblOIlb vi hh
revenue. In the same town lives the Secretary
of q large insurance corporation, who happens
to be q personal friend Of the Postmaster. The
latter goes to the Secretary and explains that
his salary is dependent on the cancellation Of
stamps, and says that 1t would be very easy fon
the Secretary to bring down at night, on his way
home from his office, all or a large part of the let.
ters Of the company which are to go in the night
mail. Instead of depositing them in the office
at New York. or in one Of the stations. sub
stations. or letter boxes. where they will do no
good, why not mail them in the smaller office
and thereby help a friendi The Government
loses nothing and tho friend gains. So, as an
act of friendship the Seer, tary often consents,
and the Postmaster of the suburban town 10 en-
abled to report a largo amount of cancellations,
and is paid accordingly.
"When the pay depends on the gross receipts
another course is pursued. Instead of bringing
the letters out from Town the obliging friend IL
requested to purchase his stamps at the office
the receipts are swollen and the salary of the
Postmaster expanded in proportion. d.
In other cases the suburban Postmaster is o
commuter. and has an office in tho city. Hero
he makes friends with those in charge of large
him the stamps they require. offering to deliver
them on the premises. This is frequently
every day several thousand stamps and sell.
ing them to the largo firms and corporations.
vi COuTSoL INC ulOTe Nc sells the larger MS SALARY,
and ho is usually very Industrious. The evil
does not stop here. Sometimes the Secretary
p%osstio mot Is n pso frien 81 t Soll tbe Pos or shs COT i
then becomes a matter Of business. which means
a split in the commissions. The Postmaster
mission on each letter mailed at his office by the
representative Of the concern. Where a firm 10
becomes a matter of considerable profit to both
the Postmaster and the obliging friend; or else
stamps. AS he is paid for selling them &c can
am9rd nv to so s1GrifcG a part Of the p-oat,
p price down eonside rahp Even ns Il ia the f Rms sav tas
obls "a f as tho fsll General IT i POST s Ted 6fiies' ap it oG %anT mot Of
stamps in this way. There are a hundred con.
Germs in New York, such as wholesale firms,
commission houses, insurance. railroad and
steamship companies. that use more than a
dollars on each 10000 means something in the
con r. of the year.
good reason to believe that some persons in New
York are shrewd enough to make a fair living
that cam be- worked BOTH t Ways rs" at % once &c %s'n sum.
pose. for instance, that you are the Secretary Of
stamps a day. The stms;te asi at your rn towa Is
paid BY the amount Of hisGancellations. You
the the fS ,nnsnaas . at ano then town.; as nsS se6S y ar Sb %ii IL
PAID paid according to his gross receipts. You agree
e w,en me a nrst a to hiring man b OUT h, your :. mail ,Sa every
thousand stamps. q week, which he delivers 40
from the one for the stamps and from the other
You y and that You YOU, S s4s ' getting ting s a. ieast o sns
t h}1 IN x OF your fnrs stamps q %gp o Tor nothing. The stamp
ceivins $500 a year for your trouble. Quite
an agreeable addition to the ordinary salary.
soa s sos b aiSo have tS the s,} pleasure Of k knowing y that
the department believes that this sort Of t6Sins;
has hapn Q0inD on for vaaro NJ onra nathtn-
can be done with the individual. and With liz
Postmaster the department is restricted to .
While this is apparently a harmless piece Of
business enterprise. It works. great detriment to
Postmasters. The people who are engaged in it
are defrauding the Government to this extent
service performed, and they are Obtaining their
stamps m at a discount thus forming a favored
always prided itself on the fact that no mstteS
same price as the purchaser of one stamp
There is scarcely an Office in Tie 'h land e1u %hsTSc:
some one is not CONDUCTING a business Of this
Covered the extent q etf L when Rss We Se ' took w In f Che
smaller towns about Chicago. Boston, and BaIti.
increased. and It was due to Ieii large s * mt to ST the
fact that the Office was getting the business
ws,fP s'i ~ fSa e Sa II; T YosE once il &c a aPs srs saas che n.
fected by this system. and that after the consoii.
d densg. t he r sSaFi Po wtll sssS s ~l,I p SsssH1 t "a:
hrlea Giest rs snd s they viii vi No. no longer nave the
Will cease the practice. Both the New York
Post once me- and the department will be benefited
Office. outside the salary Of tho Postmaster.
which is fixed by law. depend entirely on
clerks, carriers; stations and substations.
the salaries and allowances for rent. light
and fuel, all are in proportion to the
income Of the office. At present there are thou
SANDS 81 dollars diverted from the regular cham
hood and Postmasters from q distance. who visit
new York and dispose of large quantities OF
LAMBS. When this Is stopped and the revenues
will BIO benefited. because it will
nave 70 pay only once instead of twice for the
y have made this question the subject of
considerable investigation and have reached the
CONCLUSION, that q large amount of the postal
aehciency Is due to this and other methods by
Walcht 9 department is defrauded. am sat
lsned That IT 10 but o matter of time when the