Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-31
Mr.. CASTLES REPORT
ASKS FOR 100 MORE CLERKS IN
HIS BUREAU.
Business Handled by His Office for the
First Time Aggregated Over
a Billion Dollars.

In his seventh annual and last report to
the Secretary of the Treasury. Auditor
Henry A. Castle Of the Post Office Depart
ment gives an exhaustive treatment OF the
condition of the entire postal service for
the fiscal year 1908.
Referring to the postal service as sys-
tenn of state socialism, he says that for the
first time in the history of the department
the business has aggregated over one thou-
sand millions of dollars for the year ana
that it is by far the greatest business Ell
terprise in the world. Every account OF
this vast service Is adjusted and settled by
the auditors Office He has a force of CIV
employees under him, and of the entire fofce
about $50 are permitted to exercise the
powers nominally vested in the head OF the
bureau. The total transactions of the de-
partment are strikingly shown In the toi-
lowing table:
Revenues of the postal serv-
ice .$lof ,S-t nd II
Expenditures Of the postal
service NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. LOS, io4, 1o''o'
Tote' amount Of money or
derS Issued. 3SS,SoO ooS4 40
Total amount of money or -
ders paid. ...................... 364, 800 S95.-o
Aggregate ................s1.O2 6. 731 ,407 SO
Larger Salary and More Clerks.
There are 74O31 postmasters under COM
mission in the United States and 4eOO0,ooO
domestic money orders of the average
amount Of So are annually issued by them.
Nearly $50, OOO, 600 is paid annually for the
transportation Of the mails and during the
six years term of service Of Auditor Castle
the financial transactions of the department
have increased $4S1, 1884. This wonderful
growth is interpreted to mean continuing
prosperity and growing civilization, and too
great Importance cannot be given to the
man selected for the head of the financial
bureau of such an enormous enterprise.
In view of this and of the labor and re-
sponsibility involved in the office the pres
ert auditor asks an Increase of salary for
his successor to 5000 per annum. and
points out that this is less than that paid
to the heads of some bureaus Of the gov
eminent service whose positions are by no
means SO important. Increases for the two
deputy auditors, the chief clerk. law clerk.
disbursing clerk and seven chiefs of divi-
SONS are also asked, as we'll as 120 more
clerks for the bureau, this number being
but fair estimate necessary for the as
sured increase in the work of the depart
ment during the present year.
The increase of force asked for will, the
report says, necessitate the moving Of the
bureau or an enlargement Of its present
quarters the accumulation of files growing
SO rapidly that the present space can but
little longer serve the purpose of the bu-
reau.
The report refers to the recent post Office
investigation and says that at all times
the inspectors had free access to all the
files and records of the bureau, and that
everything possible was done to accelerate
their work of inspection.
Prevailing Practices Criticised
Attention Is directed to the prevailing
practice of having the second assistant
postmaster general certify to the correct
ness of the immense bills-amountfng to
about $40, 900 O0O-of the railroad companies
for transporting the mails, this practice
being termed dangerous and inconsistent
such certifcation being the only warrant
to the auditor for payment. The report says
that there is no evidence in the office of the
auditor as to the weight of the mails
carried, and that other inconsistencies
would seem to demand a change from this
system.
vogue is given some space, the auditor say
ing that it is a reprehensible practice to
authorize a postmaster to make such pay
ments instead of having them properly
audited and a warrant for their payment
drawn by the auditors office. This, the re-
port says led to some of the most serious
abuses disclosed by the recent investiga-
tons.
Continued Growth of Business.
In closing, the report says, that IL the
increased clerical force and other sugges-
tons are adopted the office will even then
be only partially equipped for the enor-
nous amount of work that 1t will be called
upon to do during the present year, and
the continuing growth of the mail sys-
tenn will present fresh problems for so
luton and soon renew the strain upon It's
resources. In the operations of the bu-
reau hundreds of thousands OF reports
must be examined verified as to computa-
tons and additions, posted and balanced
accounts must be kept with many thou
sands Of contractors, postmasters, special
agents and the like, millions of vouchers
must be inspected and checked. intermina-
BILE columns of figures must be added I'M
ceasing vigilance must be exercised to avoid
imposition. prevent entertainments and de-
falcations, to collect unpaid balances and
to maintain a financial oversight of all
branches Of the great business. The trans
actions of the department are so immense
that If frauds errors to the extent of
one-hundredth of per centum of the bust
ness handled escape detection in the audi
tor office the loss to the government would
ha