Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-30

The following is a brief of the report of
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General ]. L..
Brstow on the postal investigations:
SUPPLY DIVISION.
On April II, 1897, Michael w. Louis of
| Cincinnati was appointed cashier in the
| Kansas City, Mo-, post office, and was de-
| tailed to the department as acting superin-
! tendent of the supply division. The civil
service commission was asked to except
| the position from the classified service
| This the commission declined; but in July
| following it did give a special examination,
| allowing Louis a rating of so points for ex-
| perience acquired during the three months
| he had been in charge of the division. AS
| result of this rating Louis passed a sue
cessful examination and was appointed.
Contract for canceling ink.-Shortly after
Louis was placed in charge of post office
supplies the contract for canceling ink was
awarded to Ault & Wiborg Company of
Cincinnati, Ohio, at "a cents per pound,
cents higher than other bids. Much of the
Ink furnished by the new contractors was
of inferior quality, but instead Of being
returned to the company 1t was paid for
and burned thrown away on the city
dump. During the fiscal year 81, 900 pounds
of canceling ink were bought from the Ault
& Wiborg Company, costing S14,3S7.52
while during the previous year but 10000
pounds had been used, at cost of 81, 302. 65.
For the fiscal year 1S9S-99 no contract
was awarded for canceling ink, and from
March, 1899, until the heginning Of the
fiscal year 1923 Louis bought canoeing
ink from the Ault & Wiborg Company at 80
cents per pound, cents higher than the
last competitive bid, 10 cents higher than
was paid before Louis became superintend-
ent and from to cents higher than pres
ent cost
linking pads-For the fiscal year begin
ming July 1, 1893, upon false statements Of
Louis the contract for linking pads was
awarded to w. c. Long, a 15 cents EACH in
preference to 14-cent pads offered by Her.
man Baumgarten. Long was not a manu-
facturer. so he bought an inferior pad from
Baumgarten at 1919 cents each. Long re-
ceived net "rake-of' of S1,625 on the
years business
For the fiscal year 1900-19O1 NJ D. Helm
hundred pounds; for the following fiscal
year the price dropped to S745. During the
closing months of the year 1901 when the
price Of Irvine was S1o.95, and after the
contract had been given for the succeeding
year at s745, Louis bought large quantities
of the Irvine at $1095, which was carried
over into the next fiscal year.
He was removed October 21 1903
Purchase Of Manifold Books.
In September, 1901, George L. Morton,
representative of the General Manifold
Company Of Franklin, Pa, submitted a
proposition to furnish manifold books made
of a patented duplicating paper for the reg
astry system. w. H. Landvoigt was then
superintendent Of the system. After Nor
ton submitted this proposition, but before
any books were ordered, he proposed to Sc
cure Landvoigts son employment with the
president of the General Manifold Com
pany. The proposition was accepted by
Landvoigt, who considered 1t q great per-
sonal favor.
1t was Landvoigt's duty to pass upon the
merits and quality of the supplies furnished
by this company, and the acceptance, there
fore, of favor of this character was con-
sidered highly improper. and his resignation
was requested and accepted
The law required the department to pur-
chase manifold supplies from the public
printer, but the public printer could not
buy completed books. Morton succeeded in
having the law changed SO as to authorize
the public printer to buy completed mani
fold books" After this the use of books of
the General Manifold Company was extend
ed so as to include all books used In the
registry service.
On June l. 1902, Louis Kempner became
superintendent of the registry system, and
under his administration books made by the
General Manifold Company have been used
In lavish manner The original PROPOSE
ton was to furnish book containing 200
receipts for 22h cents EACH This book,
however, was never used, but in it's stead
book containing LOCO receipts, which cost
s11O
Prior to Kempners appointment as SUI
perintendent of the registry system, mani
fold books were not furnished to offices
where less than 1000 pieces of registered
mail were handled per annum. Kempner
disregarded this rule and sent these ex-
pensive manifold books to third and fourth ,
class offices The books are made of ma
terial requiring careful handling, yet they
have been sent to hundreds of offices |
throughout the country that are kept in
small country stores and farmhouses where |
not more than twenty-five pieces Of mail |
are registered in year.
The result has been that the cost of |
manifold supplies for the fiscal year 1923 |
was $84, 76SS5, as against SAL 1924 for the |
fiscal year 1901, when supplied by the public |
printer, an increase Of 81, 26961. After the |
books were once adopted for general use |
the company advanced the prices; to Illus !
trate:
On October 8, 1902, 25 books were ordered |
fol Atlanta, Ga. at a cost of $33. while on |
the 10Th of November, five weeks later, rs |
books, exactly the same, were ordered for |
Ogden, Utah. for which the company |
charged $57-S5 On October 49, 1902, 100 |
books were ordered for Boston. Mass, for |
which the company charged $1265O, while |
In April, 1903, 100 of the same books were |
ordered for the same city. for which $l65 |
During the investigation it was learned |
that Kempner had been receiving from |
Cuba numerous packages of cigars without |
paying duty required by law BY an
order of the President, dated November IL, |
1893. any one employed in the United States |
service in Cuba was permitted to send gifts |
or souvenirs to members of his family free |
Of duty. Kempner had parties In Cuba buy !
cigars for him and send them to him by |
registered mail. marked gift" thereby |