The chronicle=news., 1913-05-31


iy-advertised announcement 10 thai
effect. although an apparent surpius
WAS attained by unjusiifiablc meth
DDS OF bookk sspins, tn" general
moral. and efficiency OF III. postal
service We're sacrificed 10 ruthless
iy enforced policy OF false economy
lor tn. sol. purpose Of presenting a
showing of sclf-mainienane-: and at
ter the attainment Of this end, Just
before the Inauguration OF tn. ne"
administration. III. policy WIS re-
y-rs.d. i.ong-standins vacancies
were filled and postponed promotions
made: .momitm.nts to fixed charg-
IS for long terms wcf" assumed In
,uch 4 Way ar to saddl. the new ad-
mlnls,ration with the greatly Inc
creased expense duf!n: months. II not
years. TO come.
These are the important points In
the report Of n Commi'i1,. OF Post Of
flee Officers which ha. made a mlnutc
survey of the Department g"n.r-
nj condition. Tn. report Is addressed
To Postmaster General Sidney Bufl"-
son. who mad. IL public today. aud II
slrnc,. by Daniel &. Roper. Joseph
stewart. a. NJ DoekeIy. James |.
Eiasicc and Merritt u. chance. re-
rp.etiy-iy First. second. Third and
Fourth Assistant Postmaster, G-ncT-
al and chief Clerk OF tn" Department.
The substance Of the "itim of the
Hitchcock administration was that
deficiency ~ approximately ..S"".-
Ia NNaI Il To- 81 Hta.
mated. and that surplus .f over
Ss"a. 600 was attained for the nsrIi
year OF 1911. The reports OF tn"
surrey" are declared To show. on III"
contrary. thu; nj no time has there
been n legitimate snrplus In the pog-
ihl revenues since the fiscal year
1883. and that infi.ai Of a rurpius ns
approximately $4,000 In 1911.
there was. In fact. an actual dcf-
cheney OF considerably more than
three gurrt-r, of = million dollars.
II Is ,,oIntrd out by the Committee
that tho published financial reports
q! the 4, ar;mcnt stated the revenues
and the rOst Of the scryir. ON dis.im-
liar. AL therefore Incompatible
bases. Revenues Of the postal SER
vice are almost entirely collected In
cash. and consequently relate properly
TO shr fiscal year for which the re-
post l. made. but. the Committee
finds. Il has been the practice To
Iccmr7rc these orly with ;a. pay
men;s actually made dur.nE the fis-
cal year. regardless OF obligations In
Cured In that year. but no; to be
paid until succeeding years.
An explanation included among
the paper. accompanying the Com
m.t'ccs report remark tnat "i' has
been sought to Justify this proceed
usc on the ground that the overlap
nip payments approximately COM
p.nsa,c for all practical purpose:
but when the reported expenditures
liver. subjected TO mathematical an
alysis 1, was found that the immense
and constantly increasing yoium" o'
postal transactions Of previous
year are included In the transactions
of n given year aud y part Of the
greater transactions OF a giycn year
to go over 20 a succeeding year
Tnis matter Is held to have very
direct bearing upon IL. alleged
course of the former administration
in holding back ali manner Of com
mitmcnts for the future: filling OF
Vacancies and promotions. extension
of city delivery and rural free dcliv-
cry routes and star routes. until the
very close OF the last administration
50 rs to keep expenses to the mini
mum: and then filling every avail
ablcabl. position. by appointment
and transfer. making long-tcrmed
contracts. auihoti ising n large num-
Der Of free delivery and star routes.
land otherwise sadilinE the Depart
ment with fixed charges which would
not affect the reported expenditures
for the current year. but would i'm
mcnsely magnify those of thu first
year OF the rev administration.
"Thc nll-lbsorbing programme OF
the last administration was the plac-
Ing Of the Post office Department; on
q paying basis" says the report.
The policies pursued In the effort
to succeed at this plan wera over
worked and resulted /. dolce I've Id
ministra;ion and Just criticism on
the part OF the public.
"Tha; efficiency and cco-omy
: should be substituted for -'cful-
ness and eNtravagance needs ne ar
gument. but the postal service 81
fects so vitally the interests of the
entire population Of the country
that economy which means n cur
, tailment of postal facilities operates
J as check to the social and indus
trial progress of the country. The
people arc entitled to the best facili-
ties administered in the most eff
cient manner. That the facilities
furnished during the last four years
! were not the best is clearly cstab-
'ished by the facts"
It appears that the Department S