Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-01
CHARGE OF INCORRECT RETURNS
ON STAMP CANCELLATIONS
MADE BY INSPECTOR.
MRS. BELLE HOBBS, LONG
IN OFFICE, DEFENDS ACTS
Says If Any IrresuIarity Exists Was
Purely Error in countins-When At
tention Was Called to Method EN-
ployed, Mrs. Hobbs Turned Over
Money to Cover Any Errors.

A special to the Times-Republican
from Washington, d. c., is to the effect
that a postoffice inspector had rec
commended to the first assistant post
master general the removal of Mrs.
Belle Hobbs, postmistress at Albion, in
this county, on account of irregulari-
ties in rendering returns on stamp
cancellations in her office.
No knowledge Of Action.
When seen by a Times Republican
reporter at Albion Monday night Mrs.
Hobbs said that she had had no init
nation whatever of any action being
taken, altho she said that the subject of
cancellations had been up between her
and c. E. Game. of Ames inspector for
this district. This was last December,
however, and Mrs. Hobbs said that she
had supposed that if there had been
any irregularity in her office the mat
ter had been dropped as satisfactorily
explained.
Paid Over Large Sum.
Mrs Hobbs said that she had paid
into the Des Moines depository a sum
of money to cover the percentage that
the inspector considered due the de-
partment in view of his recommended
ton that she take some other means
of making the count on her cancella-
lions. Mrs. Hobbs said she could not
remember just what the amount was
that she paid. When questioned moro
closely she said that the sum was up
wards Of $500, but under $1,000.
Claimed Count Not Made Correctly.
According to Mrs. Hobbs the criti-
cism of the inspector was that her can
cellations We're of too great a volume
for the amount of business done at any
office in a town the size of Albion
Mrs. Hobbs said she explained how
she made the count Of her letters and
postal cards, and the Inspector recon-
mended a better method.
Mrs. Hobbs said that she had always
counted the letters and cards before she
Cancelled them. while the inspector said
she should not count anything until
after it had been Cancelled. He gave
as the reason that. in making the count.
she might be called to the window to
wait on a patron, and then lose her
count and make a wrong guess on the
number If nothing We're counted un-
til after it had been Cancelled the in
spector said the count would likely be
nearer correct.
Had Always Done Same Way.
Mrs. Hobbs said that she told the in
spector that if her method of counting
was wrong now, it had always been
wrong, for in her entire length of serv-
ice twelve years, she had employed the
same method of counting and then
canceling. Mrs Hobbs said that While
other inspectors had been at her Of
fee, and were apparently conversant
with her methods no one had ever
questioned her way of making the
count before or suggested that she do
it differently.
Figures Percentage Due.
Mrs Hobbs said that the inspector
had shown her by figures the percent
age of cancellations that should apply
on her salary as postmistress, and also
showed her how much he thought was
due the govern ment. This is the sum
she paid When asked whether or not
the money paid over was to cover the
entire twelve years of her office or not
Mrs Hobbs was unable to say
No Intentional Discrepancy.
Mrs Hobbs said that if there had
been any error in counting in her office
there was no Intentional discrepancy,
and if the count was not correct it was
due purely to error or miSinformation
as to how to make the count.
This view will be taken generally by
f,iA le