Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-02-07
CIVIL SERVICE is HONEST

most honest as well MS the most eff
lcioAt business organization in tn.
world, writes William L.. Curtis in the
washington Star. Any gloomy pessi-
mist who may have doubts as to tho
| honor and integrity of his fellow men
should read the reports of the treas
nry. the postonlce department and
other branches OF the government.
rhey Will give him cheerful encour-
agement TO think better of mankind
Tie records or the internal revenue
bureau and the customs service vii
demonstrate not only the honesty but
the economy Of the treasury depart
! mont and vii. show that Tho cost o!
| collecting the revenue is almost inn.
nitesi'nal compared with the vast
amounts OF money that are handled
The reports of the treasurer of the
United States ana the several audi
| tors contain similar testimony con.
corning the disbursement. OF the pub
lie funds. The recent report OF Mr.
Ernest G.. Timme. auditor for the post,
office department. is antonishlng in IT.
disclosures. Mr.. Tlmme says:
"The marvellous growth of the pos
al service continues. In all proba-
bilitv the receipts and expenditures
for the ensuing fiscal year will eX-
.eed S20O000.000 In 1890 the re-.
,eipts We're sixty millions. expendi-
lures sixty-six millions. with de
felt of about five and half millions.
10y 1907 this had increased thrcefold.
receipts Icing one hundred AMI cigh-
,v-throe millions. expenditures one
hundred and ninety millions. while
he deficit was only about Nix an
one half millions. II Is gratifying to
note that while the expenses arc
'hree times rs great. the deficit re-
mains substantially The same Ms Il
vas seventeen years ago. Tho loss
turing 1907 by bad debts. burglary
'tc.. was only two one -iundrcdths of
II par cent, which emphasizes tho
Intiring and successful efforts of thi'
office in collecting balances: due thu
United States. substantially tho
whole postal revenue Is derived
trough the postofiiccs. mainly from
he sale of stamps, envelopes. otc.
hostage on second class matter. bo'
rents and money order fees. Will
about two thirds of the cost of III
'ervice is disbursed by postmaster
lirectly from the revenues Of theh
onccs"
Clerks Handle Millions.
In the auditors Office AZ Washing
on are recorded the names of 1000
persons who are employed in tile pos
! al service OF the United States. o
hese about $4,000 are clerks in tn,
$1,000 post offices: li.iS+ are en-.
| pioyed In tho railway mail service
24.577 are employed in the city free
delivery service. and 1852 in the ru
al free delivery service. A carr
system Is used for all but the post
masters, who have Individual ledger
accounts. The number of postnias
ers has bcen largely reduced by tht
| extension of The rural free deliver
service, which has made about $4,000
| country Offices useless and they hav'
been discontinued. High water mari
| vas reached in 1900, when there werf
| 76,69l postoffices and the same num-
| Der OF postnasters on the rolls. Sine
! hen there has been a grpiual falling
,T
| The total number of employees in
the service therefore. is about IT,.
Gao men and women.
| Last year those people handled
nearly billion dollars in cash. as fol
lows:
Receipts .............. $751; s5 ,OoF
Disbursements ........ 100. 23S. 2SS
Money orders issued 49,. 563.73l .05
Foreign money orders paid lS,125.9S'
| In addition 10 that vast sum II
cash The employees OF the postal SER
vice handled many millions of pack
ages of registered matter OF n valne
unknown and impossible to estimate
but ii must have been very nearl'
| equal to the total given above.
may have been many times greater
and nobody can estimate the amour
represented by checks. drafts an
other forms OF money which pas
daily through the mails.
l. In handling this stupendous sun
tho net loss was only $3S.74S.70, OF
which s23,0b5.5T was due to burglar
and fire and the balance, $15.693.l)
10 other causes.
| i The sales OF postage stamps during
the year 1907 alone amounted t.
jS165.743 093: the city free delivery
service cost 500 .24s.535; the rural fret
| delivery service cost S26.653,30l. anc
the railway mail service cost sih175,-
7S7. These were the chief items OF
expense among the Disbursements foi
the year.
] The accuracy Of the clerks in post.
Offices may be judged by the reports
| Of The money order department which
show that there were only 2,076 en-
rors committed. amounting 10 50
| 6G9.5l. in G5.709.9l9 transactions
which represented a value of $5G3,.
T3i.053. The auditor says that NOR
/ than IS per cent. OF the losses caustt
by these errors have already beef
! recoYered and nrealcts that the res