The record-union., 1899-11-23
For the Beitermsnt of the Service and the
Prevention Of Fraud.
Deals Particularly With Fourth
Glass Postmasters, Over Whom
the Government Has No Check,
and in Many Of Whose Offices
Opportunities for Fraud Are
Great.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22-The pres
ent manner of compensating fourth
class postmasters by giving them COM
missions on the stamps they cancel has
often been criticised for it's wastefulness
and it's incongruity with the general
scheme of payment for Government
functionaries. The opportunities for
fraud have been pointed out, due to the
fact that the Government has no check
upon a fourth-class postmaster's ac-
counts as he simply states the number
of cancellations and charges up his
commissions without presenting any
vouchers. The annual report of Third
Assistant Postmaster General Madden
this year shows that even where the
number of cancellations is honestly
stated, there may still be room for i'm
position upon the Government by sys-
tematic multiplication of cancellations
in the postmaster'S interest.
Most of the fourth-class postmasters
make the postoffice an adjunct to their
private business. One of the crooked
mems tricks is to order goods for u
country store, sent as first-class mall
matter, and with only one unit of pos
tage attached. AS the goods are usually
bought in large cities, where the post
offices are run on a systematic plan, the
underpaid packages come to the country
store with postage due" stamps at
tached. The storekeeper, in his capacity
as postmaster, cancels these due stamps
and credits himself with their cancella-
tion, along with the ordinary stamps
when he sends his account to the de-
partment at Washington. 1t is to avoid
this and other irregular cuts into the
Government revenues that Mr.. Madden
recommends the abolition of the present
system of forwarding underpaid first
class mail matter, and requiring full
prepayment on everything before it
leaves the office of mailing
Mr.. Madden attacks also the existing
practice with regard to newspaper post
age. He considers that it is too liberal
in its application to the class of news
papers which offer premiums for build
ing up their business.
The test of noting whether the paper
offers itself on it's merits, with the in
ducement of a premium merely for 4
chance to prove it's worth experimental
ly or whether it offers premiums avow-
edly of more value than the paper itself
of any sitting process as between news
papers ostensibly of the same class is
always attended with ill-feeling and
complaint. Mr.. Madden suggests that
to raise the pound rate from 1 to or
8 cents, while it would not wipe out the
deficit incurred in handling such mat
ter would at least reduce it in propor-
ton to the increase of rates.
A new facility in registration will be
put into operation by Mr. Madden next
years. This is a plan for registering
matter at the house of the sender in
stead of requiring him to go to a post
office to transact his business. Letter
carriers are to be supplied with blank
registry books and forms of receipt, and
qualified to do everything that could be
done at a postoffice. 1t has been OBJ
jected that this would involve delays
for the carriers in making their rounds.
and that too few patrons would take
advantage of it to repay the Government
for the trouble and expense. Expert
ment has proved, however, that it takes
considerably less time to registeraa let
ter than to deliver one which has been
registered, and deliveries are made
daily by carriers now. AS to the public
appreciation of the convenience, Mr..
Madden finds that his regulations for
keeping registration offices open as late
in the evening as stamps are sold has
evidently been appreciated, and has re-
suited in a very large increase of bus
mess, to the profit of the Government.
His notion is that further increase of
facilities would augment the registra-