Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-30

masters, for which It was 10 receive 3h
cents per book. Afterwards, upon Met.
calls recommendation, the price was in
creased to AZ cents.
It was further discovered by the in
vestigation that Metcalfs son, who Is
employed by the company, was receiy-
ing I 10 cents per book for all OF the
books shipped by the company under
this arrangement From December,
1899, to May, 1908. he was paid S9,547l7
In addition to his legitimate salary
Inferior Paper Used-The inyestiga-
ton shows that inferior paper was be-
ing used IN the printing Of the forms,
and that Metcalf knew this fact but
made no effort to require the company
to adhere TO the specifications in respect
Ia paper.
Metoalf made other uijustihable and
reckless changes In dealing with the
Wynkoon Hallenbeck Crawford COM
panN which resulted IN loss to the de-
partment Of nearly $4,000,
Combination OF Printers-lt appears
from the correspondence between j. r.
Metcalf and j. Horace Mcfarland that
Metcalf was a party TO combination
of the -four principal bidders for the
purpose of raising the price OF money
order supplies at the last letting when
the bids We're opened II was discovered
that the prices of printing were ad-
vanced about 80 per cent When
knowledge of this combination was
brought to the attention OF the post
master-general he refused to approve
the awards. and ordered new letting
The result was that the combination
went to pieces, and the department
saved s5l.l24l6 on the contract.
on Oct 8, 1903, j T, Metcalf. n, r.
Metcalf and II. c. Hallenbeck were in
dieted by the federal grand jury OF the
District OF Columbia for conspiracy to
defraud the government.
DIVISION OF FREE DELIVERY.
August w. Machen entered the postal
service as clerk in the Toledo Ohio
postotiice, and was appointed assistant
postmaster In 1887 by Postmaster
George r. Lorenz, on July 81 1900
Lorenz retired from office In 1898
Machen came to Washington I'm the
hope OF securing some kind Of federal
position under President Cleyelands
second administration. ON May 6, 1928
he was appointed assistant superinten-
dent OF free delivery, and on Sept 10
Following he was made superintendent.
AZ that time he was a bankrupt finan-
cially, with numerous judgments re-
ledo he borrowed sums of money from
friends, promising to repay these loans
out OF the first salary that he received,
which he failed to do. Various fraudu-
lent representations We're made to Sc
cure loans, and upon one occasion he
even resorted TO forgery.
a simple statement of facts will give
the cleaiest idea Of Machens methods.
CARRIERS STRAPS.
on Sept IS, 1893 four days after
Machen became superintendent Of free
delivery, he wrote the first assistant
postmaster-general recommending that
leather straps be substituted for Irvine
USED by letter-carriers In tying up their
mail, stating that to equip the service
would not cost more than 81 $50 year
The recommendation was approved, and
Machen ordered several thousand
straps from George ID. Lamb, of New
raven, Conn. Up TO the time Of Ma
chen's removal over 100000 straps
had been purchased at cost OF sl31,
2lLS9 or over $4,000 n year.
on July "a, 1900, the postmaster nj
Worcester, Mass, wrote the depart
ment asking permission to buy carriers
straps from local dealer. stating that
he could buy them for about half the
price the department was paying.
Machen refused this request, stating:
THE straps for this year were pur
chased OF Mr.. George u. Lamb. In ac-
cordance with contract with this office"
This bold statement was made In the
face Of the fact that no contract had
ever been made, Machen buying the
straps from Lamb at price fixed by a
verbal agreement between them
George d. Lamb is now dead and the
business Is conducted by George Il. u.
Lamb, his son, who advised the inspec-
tors that he knew nothing Of the details
OF his fathers arrangement with
Machen, but that man named w. G.
Long appeared at his fathers Office at
regular intervals and collected two and
one-half cents for every strap furnish
ed. During the nine years that these