The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-02-14
E. G. Timne Of This City at the
Head of Greatest Accounting
Bureau in the World
HANDLES BILLION EACH YEAR
All Accounts of the United States Post
office Department Must Pass
Through Hands OF Kenosha
Man and His Assistants

PROBABLY the greatest accounting
office IN the world, certainly the
greatest on this continent, is in
charge of Wisconsin man. It is not
only the greatest in the number of
persons employed but in the amount
Of money of which an accounts kept.
Every year this office supervises and
checks up the expenditure of more
money than the combined fortune Of
the Rockefeller family.
1t will be year next May since
Ernst G. Timme of Kenosha, was ap-
pointed by President Roosevelt as
auditor for the postof6ce department.
For nine years prior to that time he
had filled the position of auditor for
the state and other departments. In
resigning the later place to accept
the postoffice authorship Col. Timme
gave up a government ''snap" to
accept an unusually onorous and ex-
acting public Office carrying only the
same salary as that which he had
been receiving.
1t was as secretary of state of Wis
consin, which office he held from 1887
to 1891, that Col. Timme gained his
first and probably most valuable ex.
perience as an auditor of public funds
Today his Office audits in a single
month more accounts than passed
through the state department at Madi
son in the nine years that he was sec.
rotary, and there are employed under
his immediate supervision more clerks
than the combined clerical force OF
the Badger state.
The magnitude of Uncle Sam s
postal operations and the wonderful
growth of this branch of the govern
ment service are shown in the stats.
tics of the auditors office. It will
be seventy-one years next July since
this Office was established with Z
clerical force Of forty-six persons. A
that time the total transactions o.
the postofhce department were les:
than 100000 annually. Since tina
time the business has increased unit
81, 81, 262, 163 O6 represents the fnan
cial transactions in the postal ant
money order business in 1906.
There are approximately 65, 900 post
masters in the United States, each o
whom is required to render Col
Timme quarterly report Of the re
ceipts and expenditures of his office
Of these about 38, 900 transact none,
order business and must submit
weekly or monthly statements of bus
mess. During the last year Their
were issued 1868, 123 domestic an,
LOCATES international money orders
the amount involved, exclusive o
over 100000 in fees, being $5O7,
| 563, 659.O4. In the same period SO,
013, 902 domestic and 383, 14O interna
tional orders were paid, amountin,
to $3.50, 199, Col. 81. Sooner or later al
money orders issued find their way |,
the auditors office at the rate O
about seventy-four tons year. Eacl
of these orders requires six differen
nanipu1ations in asserting, checkin,
and filing.
In addition Col. Timme's office SET
ties the postal and money order &C
counts with foreign countries, the &C
counts of steamship companies TO
ocean transportation Of the mails
verifies the money orders issued i
this country for payment in foreig
countries and the orders issued i
foreign countries for payment in thi
country The Office also settles tn
accounts Of every railroad and steam
boat company, star route contractor
and every other person engaged i
carrying the United States mails
either domestic or foreign. The gay
ments for these services average owe
1913, 900, 900 annually.
The government accounting sys
tenn is the right arm Of the lawns kin;
/ power and was established to exac
strict obedience to the statutes. TIL
system of bookkeeping used III tn,
auditors Office has been studied b,
experts for years and is said to be a
nearly perfect as has ever been de
vised. To handle this great detail
Col. Timme has an Office force of 70
clerks and employees.