The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-06-17
HITCHCOCK
P|NCH|NG
ECONOMY
Directed In The Main Against
(lVerW0Tked Postal
Clerks
speelal b the nallY I.Aader.

Special to the Daily Leader.
Washingtou, june. l1 rhirty-iive
dollar wassepaper baskets S2gs desks
and $500 tables were some OF the lit
tle economies effected hy Postmaster
General Hitchcock III refurnishing his
red room and brown room Offices
1aese and other examples OF extraya-
sance weYe revealed In testimony
taken by Tie HMse Committee on ex-
penditures III tNe P0stoifice depart-
ment
Mr. Hitchcock sanctioned the ex.
penditure Of S7500 in returnishing
three rooms. $4,000 Of which went 70
turnishing the postmaster generals
private Office alone. Cifcassian wal
nut furnishings especially designed
and manufactured. and especially
designed carpets and draperies fur
Lished the nucleus of this expendi-
tire.
In NO instance We're bids advertised
far. or competition permitted. The
lucky dealer had but to state his price
aid secure an order upon the treas.
cgy. Five hundred and forty dollars
two mahogany dayenports
for American royalty: $3.50 brought in
two arm chairs; sos groduced a
taEle; 1926 purchased second desk,
aud sligo a third A wardrobe to
hang coats III cost 1856 One rug was
purchased al $4S3T5. Another daven-
port in Circassian walnut with pill
f,ntp ,n,t 1vr,l, Cen, 2nEE ntsaporfop
fer one room cost $500. Parquetry
flooring in one room cost $2S2. A
telephone table cost s64. A table
with black marble top also cost s64
Il cost 1852 to ascrape" the wood
work in the private Office preparatory
to new finish.
Such was the measure Of MIR, Hitch
cocks economy in matters pertaining
To his own personal comfort In mat
ters concerning the employees es-the
railway mail clerks for instance-be
followed entirely different lines OF
procedure.
Mr. Hitchcock figured 1t out one
day that by making three men do the
work OF four, he could make record
for economy in the railway mail div
ision. The already oyerworked rail-
Way mail clerks were driven beyond
the limit of endurance. Conditions in
the west. especially in the tenth div
iSion. became intollerable. Open re-
beiiion broke out 0n the Pierre-Tracy
line. the mon refusing to do the extra
ynrk imposed upon them. Ten men
were suspended Then 8 Of thtm We're
reinstafed. but refused 10 return 70
work without their associates. This
aroused the whole northwest. The
clerks met in mass meeting at St,
Paul Minn. They are now forcing
the postmaster general to relent IN
his plan 70 economic by oyerWorK-|
ing the railway mail boys,
Strange working Of the Hitchcock
economy bump also caused the POST
master General to pay the full yer
salary of $4,000 10 A. W. LaWshe,
third assistant postmaster general
u lille the later sojourned in New
Mexico recuperating in health apd
locking after the interests Of the re-
publican party but peuofniAe Ap
service whatever
Still another example OF Hitencoch
economy Was his appointment OF 4
pseudo lame duck commission 0il
f9pr oil his intimate friends and
staunch poitial supporters to 80 nn al
sort of Holy Grail conquest at thel
expense. The commits
SION investigated time records mi
various cities, and MANAGED to dls,
hurse id eXnenses sums that Noula
have gone long way toward making
the discharge OF railway
mail clerks.
The average amount spent by each
az the committee for subsistence Was
between nine aud tun dollars daN
Transportation expenses for each
man for a period Of less than two
ii Onths. averaged $500. Among many
/, ams of expenditures charged to aad
paid by Uncle sam appear harder
tees, bath charges. telephone bllls'
sl ines. newsstand charges, in fact
almost everything possible in such :
category except laundry, cigars ana
florists bills The Hotel Willard "A
Washington the Astof in New AofA
s,nd kindred hostelries We're employed
20 shelter the government emis-
saries porter fees averaged 90 Genus
rho commissioners always p0fehas
ed Pullman tickets. and cab fares are
tUckh snFlnBlod among the vouchers.
tbe commissioners travel
ed alone. but generally together, as
hehooyes any wellordered, pleasure
loving governments committee
How gratifying all this must he 70
Inc discharged postal clerks wlliie
they sit aud figure out how much the
government Is saving on them