The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-01
SELFSUPPORT IS
FALSE ASSERTION
Of fine ECONOMY
Hitchcock Administration. De
spite Announcement, Left
No Surplus
HlSsBOOKKEEPlNG
IS UNJUSTIFIABLE
Items for Payment Carried
Over and His Successor
Is Given the Addi-
tional Burden
WASHINGTON,

AA0AA0A
WASHINGTON, May S1.-Ths
1bostonice department did not attain a
condition OF seif-suppo-t during the
administration OF Post,naster-Cenera
Hitchcock. notwithstanding the wide
4 1y-8dvertised announcement to tina:
EATect, although an apparen: surplus
wa attained by unjustinaLle methods
81 bookkeeping. The general morale
ana. efficiency cf the postal service
were sacrificed to a ruthiess'y en-
forced policy of faise economy for
the sole purpose of presenting a show
ing Of seff-maintenance. and after
the attainment OF this end, just be-
fore the inauguration of the new
administration. the policy was re-
Sersed. Long standing vacancies
were filled and postponed promotions
/, made: commitments to fixed charges
for long terms were assumed in sue
n way as to saddle the new admins
tration with the greatly Increased ex-
pense during months, IL not a TO
come.
These are the important points In
the report OF a committee OF post
cfice officers which has made a min
ute survey of h departments gen
eral condition. The report Is ad-
dressed 10 AfptEt
Sidney Burieson. who made 1t public
to-day. and is signed by Daniel c.
Roper. Joseph Stewart, A. NJ. DecLsry.
James /. Blakslee and Merritt Q.
Chance, respectively first. second.
third and fourth assistant psstr1asters-
general and chief clerk o. the de-
rArtment. @zs
Tgsse s~ubsfanee OF the clat.n Of the
Hitchcock administration was that a
denclencv oil approximately SlT.6oo.-
ooo In 100 had been entirely elim!-
mated. and hat q surplus of over 5000
600 was attained for the hscal year
1911. The reports OF the survey are
declared to show. or the contrary,
that at nc tir1e has there been q
legitimate surplus in the postal reve-
-nues since the fiscal year 1883. and
that instead OF a surplus of approx
mately s2Is,o0e in 1911. there was
In fact. an actual deficiency OF con-
eiderably more than three-quarters OF
q million dollars.
In order to ascertain the true cost
Y Of the service, tho various adnlin's-
| trative officers of the department has-
tng jurisdiction ove the several
branches of the service werc called
upon 10 submit statements showing
the obligations incurred by them Tor
/ the service OF the fiscal sears lae2
leo 1919. inclusive. irrespective or tne
1time payments of the obligations
twere or are to be made. Upon conn
tpalation of these statements i: was
found, the postmaster-general states.
n that the cost OF the service Tor these
years, as compared with the expendi-
lures reported for those years by the
Hitchcock administration. was as ioi-
lows:
Fiscal year 1903. expenditures shown
u partRm Ssa,sAssaa. , .aaa Ia. So .S eos. Z the
asS,!y; !ssi.:ss.ss1.ii: discrepancy
fiscai year 1910. expenditures shown
partmsnt. ss2s.s77,sat5e; cost Of the
ssisss s.s Sssss .o.9'so: discrepancy.
Tiscai Year 1911. expenditures shown
Il nsrt Rrsa,.nssass 7 .nsa 'sas.s sss'e cob q shs
oairy. sass.sas.sso.s7: discrepancy.
's Fiscai Year 1912. expenditures shown
IN published annual reports Of de-
partrnent. s24s.5e5. 4so.os: eost OF the
a sss.ki
n In pointed out by the committee
That the published financial reports
81 the department stated the revenues
and the cost of the service on dissimi-
lar. and therefore Incompatible
bases. Revenues of the postal service
me- almost entirely collected in cash,
and consequently relate properly 10
the fiscal year for which the report
Ii made. But. the committee hnds. II
has been the practice to compare
theSe only with payments actually
made during the fiscal year, regard
ynsa Of obligations incurred In that
year, but not to be paid until sue
ceeding years.
An explanation included among the
u apers accompanying the commit
tees report remarks thai 1t q peer
sought to justify this procedure on
the ground thai h overlapping pay
mAnts approximately compensate for
All practical purposes; but when the
reported expenditures were subjected
Ia mathematical analysis 1t was found
that the immense and constantly In
creasthg volume of postal transactions
imaAA under statements OF expendt-
lures OF q given year and . part Of
thA greater transactions of q given
year 70 over to q successful year"
This matter IL held to have . direct
bearing upon the alleged course Of
the former administration In holding
back all name OF commitments foI
tho, future flling Of vacancies and
promotfons, extension OF city delivery
rural free delivery routes n staI
ESrcutea, until the very close OF the
EAalnst administration, 80 rs to keep ex-
sponses to the minimum; ana tnen
flling eyery available position. %
appointment and transfer. making
Was-as v,~~> Z n