El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-31

D." = ASIlNGIO On, ID. C., May 81
NJ The postoffice department did
not attain a condition of self
support d during the administra-
ton Of postmaster general Hitchcock,
Notwithstanding the widely advertised
announcement TO that effect. although
an apparent surplus was attained by
unjUstifiable methods Of bookkeeping.
The general morale and efficiency If
the postal service were sacrificed to
ruthlessly enforced policy of false
economy for the sole purpose of pre-
senting showing OF sci maintenance;
and after the attainment Of this end,
just before the Inauguration of the
Versed.
Long standing vacancies were filled
and postponed promotions made; com
mltments to fixed charges for long
terms were assumed in such a way as
to saddle the new administration with
the greatly increased expense during
months, If not years, TO come.
These are the important points in
the report Of q committee of pOstOffice
Officers which has made a minute
survey of the departments general
condition The report is addressed to
postmaster general Albert Sidney Bur
!eson. who made it public today. and
IS signed by Daniel G. Roper, Joseph
Stewart, A NJ DOckery. James /
Blakslee and Merritt o. Chance, re-
spectlEely first, second, third and
and chief clerk of the department
Could Not Find Surplus.
the substance Of the claim Of the
Hitchcock administration was that
deficiency Of approximately ST, 500, 600
In 1919 had been entirely eliminated,
and that a surplus of over 5000 600 was
attained for the fiscal year 1911. The
reports Of the survey are declared
70 show on the contrary, that at no
time has there been . legitimate sur
plus in the postal revenues since the
fiscal year 1888 and that. instead Of
surplus of approximately $4,000 N
1911, there was, in fact an actual def
cheney Of considerably more than three
quarters OF a million dollars.
In order TO ascertain the true cost
OF the service. the various administra-
tive officers Of the department having
Jurisdiction over the several branches
Of the service were called upon 10
submit statements showing the Obliga-
lions incurred by them for the service
Of the fiscal years 1903 to 1912 in
elusive, lrreSp eCtiVe of the time when
are to be made. Upon compilation of
these statements il was found the
postmaster general states that the cost !
of the service for these years as COM
pared with the expenditures reported
for those. years by the Hitchcock ad- =
mlnlstrauon, was as follows:
Expenditures
Fiscal Year Shown in Annual
Report
1909 Observation-Disclosures. 1921. OO4. 1929
1910 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 229. 977. 2245O
1871 .....s. ..-.-.----. 237.648. 926.6S
1917 ---------.-.-. 24S,525, 45O.OS
1t is pointed out by the committee
that the published financial reports !
OF the department stated the revenues
and the cost Of the -erviCe on diSSimi- I
lar, and therefore Incompatible bases. /
revenues Of the postal service are Al l
most entirely collected in cash, and /
consequently relate properly to the |
LlScal year for which the report IS |
made But, the committee finds. it I
has been the practice to compare these
only with payments actually made dur
ing the fiscal year, regardless of Obli-
cations incurred in that year. but not /
TO be paid until succeeding years.
The Overlapping Payments.
An explanation included among the /
papers accompanying the committees I
report remarks that 1T has been
sought to Justify this procedure on |
the ground that the overlapping pay
ments approximately compensate for |
all practical purposes; but when the re-
ported expenditures were subjected TO Z
mathematical analysis it was found [
that the immense and constantly in I
creasing volume of postal transactions !
made under statements Of expenditures I
possible when the lesser transactions Z
Of a previous year are included in the /
transactions Of given year and a I
part Of the greater transactions Of a l
given year 90 ever to a succeeding
year"
The au-absorbing program Of the /
last administration was the placing Of l
the pOSro1lce department on a paying !
basis says the report. The policies
pursued in the effort TO succeed at this |
plan We're overworked and resulted in /
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