The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-30
POSTMASTER GENERAL
PAYNE'S ANNUAL REPORT
WILL MAKE SUGGESTIONS
Its Popular Feature Will Be the
Portion Devoted to Rural
Free Delivery.
REFORMS TO BE URGED
In View of Disclosures Revealed
in the Investigation Con-
Quoted by Bristow.
MIR. HEATH'S INTERVIEW
Discredit Cast on 1t Because Nc
Kinley Was Not in Washing
ton on the Date Named.
REFORMS TO BE URGED
MR.. HEATH'S INTERVIEW
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

SpeCldl 10 the Indianapolis journal.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 29.-The annual re-
port of Postmaster General Payne has been
completed and sent to the printer. 1t will be
made public in few days. The report is
more than a month overdue, the delay be-
ing caused by the pressure of business in
the department caused by the investigation
which was in progress for many months.
In view of the fact that so much space was
given to the details of the investigation by
the special reports OF Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow, and by the
special attorneys, Conrad and BOnaparte,
Mr.. Payne has devoted comparatively little
attention in his report to the investigation
its results. He confines himself to the
working details of the department, and in
summary of recommendations to Congress
he will ask some legislation believed to be
necessary to carry out plans for bettering
the service, in accordance with the dis
closures made by the investigation.
Mr.. Payne also will devote some attention
to the rural free delivery service. The situ-
alton with respect to that service is interest
ing, and it IS shown that instead of curtail-
ing the establishment of new routes the de-
partment is pressing forward with all possi-
BILE dispatch to increase the service. More
than 600 routes a month are now being In
stalled. The indications are that all availa-
BILE cash for this service will be exhausted
by March 1, and at least 100000 additional
will be required through special deficiency
appropriations by Congress if the increases
in the service is TO be maintained to the end
of the year The highest record MADE by
the department Is LOCO new routes a month.
Up TO this time more than 10000 routes
have been put in, which is two-thirds of
81
Smith three years ago as being sufficient to
supply all the immediate needs of the count
try. Marked progress is being made in the
completion of full county systems of rural
free delivery and about 100 counties
throughout the country have been estab-
lished. OF this number one-fourth, or ex-
actly twenty-five, have been put in operation
in Indiana. which State leads all in the
country. Throughout the West considerable
progress has been made, but the demand
for single routes in districts not yet supplied
is so great that the department finds it i'm
possible TO complete county systems as rap
idly is desired
The free delivery service will remain un-
der the management of General Bristow,
and no successor to former superintendent
Machen will be named the business of the
bureau being managed under chief OF dlvl-
sions reporting to General BristoW.
Now that information has reached here
to the effect that the Louisville Courier
Journal has found it necessary to make
public avowal of the accuracy of the inter-
view it published with Perry S. Heath re-
garding a conversation which Mr.. Heath
claimed to have had with the late Presi-
dent Mckinley shortly before his death in
which Mr.. Mckinley is quoted as having
said that he expected to see his friend
Mark Hanna his successor in the White
House, considerable attention has been di-
rected TO Mr. Heath's interview. 1t is claimed
here that there must be some mistake
about it. Mr.. Heath is quoted as having
said that he had the interview with Mr..
Mckinley only a few days before the latter
left the White House to go TO Buffalo, where
the assassination took place. The facts
are brought out that President Mckinley
left Washington on the 9th of July, just a
month before he went to- Buffalo, and that
on leaving this city the President went to
Canton, o., and never returned here.
The controller of the treasury has rend-
cred an adverse decision on the claim of
NJ H. Miller, chief clerk, medical supply
department, San Francisco, for his salary
during the investigation of charges against
him for collusion with firms in that city,
altering figures in proposed bids. etc. Mil
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5. COL. A.