The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-22
JUMPS UPON MIR. MACHEN Large Deficiency in Free l Delivery. PAYNE TELLS OF CAUSE Says Showing Represents
 Lack of Business Sense. He Makes No Charge, However, In volving the Honesty of Purpose
 on Behalf of the Deposed
 Superintendent.

Washington, May 1.-Congress VIII pc asked at the opening of its next session to make an appropriation to cover den- ciencies in both the regular free delivery service and the rural free delivery ser vice of the Postoffice Department. Postmaster General Payne today an nounced that this deficiency now aggre- gates exactly s227. .467. of which sl05000 is in the free delivery branch and $121, 800 in the rural free delivery service. The Post master General said he very much re- gretted the existence of the deficit and for the first time publicly criticised the ad- ministration of A. w. Machen. the Gen. eral Superintendent of the free delivery system, who is out on indefinite leave of absence.
 MT. Payne Talks.
 At the. closing of the last Congress. said Mir. Payne, MT. Machen pointed out that without additional appropriations no more routes could be established beyond those ready to be installed January 1. He said. however, if Congress appropriated sSo0,00o for the purpose the work could
 be continued during the rest of the fiscal year. This appropriation was promptly made but it was exhausted. Despite this fact the free delivery office was going on increasing the deficiency."
 Continuing, he said the part of the de- ficiency was discovered before Mir. Mach en was given his leAve of absence The Postmaster General sent the fol-
 lowing letter to Fourth Assistant Bris- tow, dated May 8:
 "on the 7th Inst. First Assistant Post
 master General Wynne advised me of the probabilities of deficit of s2o,o00 in the rural free delivery accounts, and that If the activity of the branch is kept up in the work of preparing to install addition
 al rural free delivery routes until July 1. this deficit would be largely increased. Tt is my wish that there should be
 no deficit. Congress at its last session
 made an additional appropriation of s5oO,- oea for tae rural free delivery service | and we shotifd So conduct the business
 from the office so as not to exceed this appropriation.
 Curtailmept Urged. T have therefore to request that you
 will investigate the situation promptly
 and curtail the expenditures so that if il
 is possible we will not have the deficit al
 the end of the fiscal year. In accom-
 plishing this. however, it is advisable that
 great care should be taken not to sus-
 pend the actual investigation of proposed
 rural free delivery routes more than is absolutely necessary I should think il entirely practical to bring about eco monies in other branches of the bureau
 which would accomplish the result de- sired"
 l Mfr Bristow subsequently, reported to | the Postmaster General with detailed 1 Statement showing that the amount az grcgated s227 900 in round numbers. | Postmaster General Payne tonight in
 discussing the big deficiency in the free delivery service, said:
 Tt is reprehensible for a bureau off cer to have a deficit of s20O.0O0 rolled up
 the first of May. A bureau officer should
 not incur deficit without consulting the Postmaster General I cannot stand for
 that kind of administration and I do not approve of 1t. do no. say that there was anything criminal or anything wrong 1 in Mir. Machen's action. I believe, how
 ever, that Congress will quickly vote the money to cover the deficiency.
 Will Hear Machen. Mir. Payne said that A. W, Machen, the General Superintendent. would he given an opportunity to be heard on the sub ject
 Superintendent Machen, when told to- night of the Postmaster Generals crtti- cism about the free delivery service defi- cit, said there had been no intention on
 his part to deceive his departmental su' | periors. He said:
 T forwarded to Mr. wynne at he close
 of April a statement of the deficit ther existing. Those figures fere on routes existing. Those figures were on routes to be established on May 1 and May Il and June and June IS had not been ther put on the books of the bookkeeper
 Therefore the deficit of $20.00O was not misrepresentation of the actual condition of the appropriation at that time should | have asked Congress" added the free de Iivery superintendent. flor larger sun
 than s50O,0O0 which was voted on at th' | last session for the present fiscal year The pressure for more rural routes was very strong and yielded to 1t beyone l what the appropriation had been provid ed, The same thing has been done IT years gone by and Congress has always readily voted the money necessary tc xv.ai Ira an tta aadcit