Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-31
THE" STAR REUTERS"
MORE ABOUT THE POSTAL RULES
CONCERNING THEN.
TRAVEL PAY OF ARMY OFFICERS.
Treasury Department Decision with
Respect to Expenses - Military
Notes I'm GeneraI-PostaI and Per-
sOnaI Items.

WASHINGTON. March 30-(Speclal)-
The following is additional and semi-ofl-
cial Information regarding star-route con-
tractors, and department rules concern
ing them:
NO postmaster. assistant postmaster.
or clerk employed in any post-office shall
be contractor or concerned In any con-
tractor carrying the mail. Postmasters
are also liable 70 dismissal from Office
for acting as agents OF contractors or
bidders. with or without compensation,
In any business, matter, or thing relating
to the mail service. They are the agents
Of the department. and cannot act in
both capacities" Postal Laws and Regu-
lations)
In accordance with the spirit Of the
statute, the order adds:
'The wife or husband Of postmaster
should not become a sub-contractor;
neither should minor child Of post
master when such an arrangement would
result in the postmasters being pecu-
niarily interested"
I'm such and in almost numberless
other ways are the argus eyes Of the
office required TO watch the contractor
and the postmaster. not 50 much that
they need watching, but that they might
need watching If they were not watched.
"POstmasters are evidently the only
check on the contractors. Now and then
a mail contractor has been found 10 sub
nit offers to postmasters to secure
upon the payment of money consideration,
the services Of persons to act as sub
there a
regulation against this, It needs frequent
reiteratiOn. 1t Is the contractor, the
'star-router,' and not the sub-contractor,
who usually needs the special kind Of
watching. The derelictions of the con-
tractor are usually the things he won't
do If he can help it. Those Of the sub
contractor are the things he can't do,
no matter how hard he tries"
WINSTON-SALEM POST-OFFICES.
The Post-Oflce Department is stil
wrestling with the question Of whether
or not TO consolidate the post-ofilces at
Winston and Salem. y. G. The matter
will not be decided for several days. The
decision was reached TODAY, however, to
lease the property OF w. A. Lemley, or
Winston, for five years. from June S, 1899
for the Winston post-ofiice. BY that
time the public building will probably be
ready for occupancy.
OFFICERS TRAVEL PAY.
Assistant Comptroller of the Treasury
L. =. Mitchell to-day decided that army
officers travelling under orders without
troops. when authorized be law, from an
inland point in the United States to an
inland point I'm any of our island posses
sions. or vice versa, are not entitled to
mileage for any part Of the Journey, but
I'm lieu Of mileage are entitled TO actual
travelling expenses.
The custom has been for officers travel
ling anywhere i'm the world. I'm foreign or
domestic lands to receive cents a mile,
ont OF which TO pay their expenses. Tn
der the conditions arising out Of the trOu-
bles Of the past year, many were sent to
the Philippines, Hawaii, Porto Rico, and
cuba. on government transports, and oc-
casionally "A quick trip was required, in
volving expenditures not covered by the
mileage. TO even up matters, Congress,
on March Sd Of this year, inserted pro-
vision in the army bill that the maxi
mum sum TO be allowed and paid TO any
officer OF the army shall be cents a
mile" The same act provided further
that actual expenses only shall be paid
TO officers when travelling to and from
our island possessions in the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans"
The question at once arose whether IT
was meant that a man ordered, for in
stance, from Chicago 10 Habana, was en-
titled TO mileage TO the limits Of the
United States and expenses beyond. or
whether he should only receive actual ex-
penses from the initial TO the terminal
point of his journey. As stated above,
the Assistant Comptroller decides he shall
only receive actual expenses. This. Of
course. does not affect the mileage re-
ceived by officers travelling within the
boundaries of the United States.
VIRGINTANS TO BE PROMOTED.
Quite a number of officers have been
ordered up for examination as to fitness
for promotion. Among them is Second
Lieutenant Philip T. NJ. walker, Of Com
pany G.. Sixteenth United States Infan-
try He will be examined by board
which meets at jefferson Barracks, Mo.
Lieutenant Walker was appointed from
civil life July 9Th of last year. and ac-
cepted July 22d, so it will be seen that
promotion Is coming for him very rapid
ly.
is Second-Leutenant Hugh d. Berkeley
Troop ID. First United States Cavalry He
was appointed to the United States Mill
tarv Academy. however. from Mississippi
Lieutenant Walter s. Alexander,
Fourth United States Artillery, has been
relieved from duty as mastering otncer
for the State of South Carolina, ana or
dered TO Fort Monroe. for duty IN con-
nectIon with the organization Of one OF
the new batteries at that post.
NEW POST-OFFICE.
nev post-office has been established
AT Chafin. Halifax county, va, with
Thomas A. Chafiin postmaster.
At THE HOTELS.
Metropolitan: Hon. Marshall McCor-
nick Rerryville; r.. McC. Burlington.
Richmond. j. H. Whitner. Roanoke; X.
Walton Moore. Fairfax county.
Howard: j. c. Hundley, Durham n.
go. c. Hutchinson. Hickory Grove, Va.
ST. James: j. II. Manse, A. ID. Manse'
Rushville. Va; o. Emerson Smith Ports
IDfabu,npI