The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-04
AUDITOR CASTLES REPORT.
Financial Transactions of the Post
office Department Reviewed.


Financial transactions of the Post
Office Department Reviewed.
Henry Castle, the Auditor for the Post
office Department, has completed his re-
port for the fiscal year ended June 80. II
postofllces. with an income of s102, 354
57s.29 and expenses of $1O7, 249, 29S.13. The
transactions through the money order de-
partment reached s504. 100. 1880. The
| total financial transactions of the service,
including the money orders. amounted to
$n4 49,. 1922. That is an increase Of jus,
20 1-3 per cent in four years.
Mr.. Castle discusses in detail many OF
| the features OF The postal service. He
gives hearty approval to the rural free de-
| livery system, which he says is an out
growth OF the legitimate postal function.
He Is not so well satisfied, however, with
the results OF the money order service.
Touching on that he says:
In my last annual report figures were
given which conclusively prove a direct,
| computable loss of over 100000 per an
| mum in conducting this feature of the
service. in addition to many other indi-
| rect expenses which do not admit Of exact
calculation or even approximate estimate.
This discussion was not inspired By any
hostility to the existing money order
branch of our postal service. The money
order is most useful and popular thing
wonderfully convenient for great masses Of
the people. The postal officials do all in
their power to make it safe and convenient.
as well as to rapidly extend its benefits.
They do this upon the theory that 1t is not
only self-sustaining but reasonably profit
claip wh fnh CHI to ha
mistaken.
I'VE know. on general principles. that
in several branches of the postal service
heavy losses occur, and it is equally I'M
fortunate that We have in our present
accounting system no method of ascer-
tanning exactly what those losses are In
other words. the different features are
so interviewer. and there are so many
expenditures which cannot be with abb
solute accuracy subdivided among the
different features. or at least have not
been SO divided, that the profitable ele-
ments of the problem are made to carry
the Improbable elements, with little or
NO attempt to either discover the respon-
sibility for loss or apply a remedy.
1.-THE entire volume of the public bust
ness of the country transmitted through
the mail. including documents, cores
pondence. even heavy cases Of freignts,
such as postal cards. postal suprlils, type
writer's, canceling machines, printing
presses, etc., is carried without any COM
pensation, and at an absolute total loss,
amounting to millions Of dollars per an
mum in the aggregate.
weekly newspapers carried through the
mails In the counties where published,
free Of charge, constitute another heavy
item Of total loss. Other newspapers and
periodicals. serial novels. and many
wholly undeserving kinds of secondelass
matter are carried for only a fractional
part Of the cost Of transmission.
THE registry system would doubtless
show an even greater proportionate loss IL
all proper charges against it could be
duly debited.
Postal telegraph bills are introduced |
at every session of Congress and pushed |
to the front with zeal and energy which |
will ultimately lead to success, unless all |
the merits and demerits of that great IN
dertaking are fully considered by those
charged with the responsibility. The pro- /
moters call attention to the alleged pine
nomenal success of the postal telegraph
systems in other countries. notably in |
England. But the official reports show
that England lest in eighteen years 81
235, S97 IS. 4d., or about $40, 000, 0G0, In op-
Grating her postal telegraphs. The de-
felt on that branch of the English postal
service is now more than s3,090.0 900 per
annum, and is steadily growing. Yet
England is compact, populous and
wealthy country. What the deficit wouid
be under similar management in the
United States, with our immmenSe sire ten
es of sparsely settled and entirely unin-
habited territory may be left to :ae i'm
agination.
Another proposition having NANTES. |
popularity and influence Lehind it is the
of our parcels pest service
as remedy for express nlonopoliss. Bit
The experience of England is that even |
IN that compact and dense!y populated
country money has been lost on this par
:els post business, although a minimum !
ate of cents pound has been cnarred |
THE advocates of a postal savings bank
ire. If possible, more persistent and zsal-
Jus than either of the other classes re-
erred to. Their bills for the establish
nent Of this business in connection with
,ur present postal service are numero US | ,
md voluminous. None Of these bills ,
hows any comprehension whatever of the ;
necessity of keeping minnie ard accurate
counts. Appeals are made to III, sue ,
ess of the scheme in England. bu- it is
well-known fact that The English Gov ,
rnment today finds itself unable to ir- ;
est the accumulations of its postal saw
ngs banks in such a manner as to re-
mburse itself for the interest. paid, to
ay nothing of the enormous expresses
4 administration Every deposit and
very withdrawal in all the postal say :.
ngs banks in the country must be report
d to the accountant .ensral, torre- !
ponding to the auditor II this country, ,,
vhere all the accounts are kept and in
crest computations made. 1t is safe 20
ay that if the postal savings bank s,s- !!
EN- were established in this county to- I
ay and interest paid at the rate these I
ills contemplate. 1000 ed iitiohil clerks |
'ould be required in the Auditors Office j
Tithin five years to keep the accounts" d
b