The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-22
Payne Attaches All Blame tl Machen, Says He Won't
 Stand For t
CONGRESS WILL BE ASKED
 ID APPROPRIATE AMOUNT
Superintendent Maehen, When Told of Payne's Criticism, said There Was No Intention to Deceive His
 Departmental Superior.

Washington, May 21.-Congress will be asked at the opening of It's next session to make an appropriation 10 cover de- ficiencies in both the regular free delv- cry service and the rural free delivery service of the postoffiee department.
 Postmaster General Payne stated that this deficiency now aggregated exactly s227. 467, of which s105.00o Is in the free de- livery branch and $l2l60O in the rural free delivery service. The postmaster general said he very much regretted the existence of the deficit and for the first time publicly criticized the admlnistra- tion of A W. Machen the general super intendent of the general free delivery system, who Is out on indefinite leave of absence.
 At the opening of the last congress-" said Mir. Payne, Mir. Machen pointed out that without additional appropriations no more routes could be established than those already to be installed January l. He said, however, If congress appropriat- ed $500,000 for the purpose the work could be continued during the rest of the fiscal year. This appropriation was promptly made but 1t was exhausted. Despite this fact the free delivery office was going on increasing the difficulty
 Discovered Some Time Ago.
 Continuing the postmaster general said that part of the deficiency was discovered before Machen was given his leave of ab- sence. The postmaster general sent the following letter to Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Bristow. dated May 9: 'On the 7th inst. Gen. eral Wynne advised me of the probablll- ties of a deficit of s20,0 900 in the rural free delivery accounts and that if the activity of the bureau is kept up in the worls,'os preparing to Install additional 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 $5OO,- 900 for the rural free delivery service and we should so conduct the business of the offices as not to exceed this appropria- ton. have. therefore. to request that you will investigate the situation prompt " and curtail the expenditures so that, If 1t is possible, we will not have the de- hcit at the end of the fiscal year. Tn &C., complaining this. however. 1t Is advisable that great care should be taken so as not to suspend the actual investigation of the
 
 than Is absolutely necessary. I should think 1t entirely practical to bring about economy in other branches of the bureau, which would accomplish the result de- sired"
 Payne Makes Statement.
 Postmaster General Payne tonight in discussing the big deficiency in the free delivery service, said:
 Tt is reprehenslble for bureau of- ficer to have a deficit of $200, GOO rolled up on the 1st of May. A bureau officer should not incur deficit without consulting the postmaster general l cannot stand for that kind of administration. and l do not approve of 1t. I do not say that there was anything criminal or anything wrong in Mir. Machen's action. l believe. how ever, that congress will quickly vote the money to cover the deficiency"
 MT. Payne said that A. w. Machen, the general superintendent, would ne given an opportunity to be heard on the subject.
 Superintendent Machen. when told to- night of the postmaster generals critl- cism about the free delivery deficit. said there had been no intention on his part to deceive his departmental superiors. He said:
 q forwarded to MT. Wynne at the close of April statement of the de- felt then existing Those figures were on routes already established. The figures for routes to be established on May 1 and May 15 and June 1 and June 15. had not been then put on the books of the bookkeeper. Therefore. the deficit of S20- GOO was not a representation of the actual condition of the appropriation at that time
 'I should have asked congress-" added the free delivery superintendent, flor a larger sum than $500 OfI which was voted on at the last session for the pres ent fiscal year. The pressure for more rural routes was very strong. and l yield ed to it beyond what the appropriation had provided The same thing has been done in years gone by and congress has always readily voted the money nec- essary to make up the deficit"