Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1914-02-05
UNITED STATES
TREASURER BURKE
EXPLAINS CHARGES AGAINST
DEPARTMENT - ROWS
BLAME ON PREDECESSORS.

washington, Feb. L. Defending
his conduct of the Office of United
States treasurer against charges
which have recently appeared in GER
tain newspapers, John Burke, form
erly governor of North Dakota, de-
clares that the conditions complained
of are due to new system Of ac-
counting installed under the last ad-
ministration, without at the same
time providing a clerical force suffi-
.cient to care for the increased work.
Burke Surprised.
eyes, I have read the articles
which appeared in the Washington
Evening Times and the New York
Tribune in reference to the condition
of the United States treasury. I am
surprised that such reports should
be printed without investigation at
this Office
The story is published as some
thing new, and great disclosures are
to be made on account of secret in
vestigation, when as matter of fact
the general public has known since
former Secretary McVeagh put in the
new system of accounting on Feb. 1,
last, that the increased work on &C
count of such system could not be
done by the employees in the treas
ury.
New system.
This new system was put in one
year ago, and congress, in the appro-
priation act passed March 4, 1913,
approved the same by providing that
the secretary of the treasury might
transfer from the sub-treasury to the
treasury, employees to do the extra
work imposed by the new system.
Under this new system, the United
States treasury is made clearing
house for all the government bust
ness. the object being to facilitate the
busineF of the general public deal
ing with the government, and it was
thought at the time the system was
inaugurated that sufficient nun Der
of employees could be transferred from
the sub-treasuries to the treasury to
keep the work current.
Secretary McVeagh, however, did
not take into consideration the large
number of banks (400 in number)
that prior to that time we're doing a
great portion Of the work, all of
which, under the new system, is done
here in the treasury. Then, in ad-
dition to the burden imposed by Sec
retary McVeagh, Secretary McAdoo
increased the number of depositaries
to 1000, with all of which the Office
had to open an account, and then
$5O,00O,000 was subsequently de-
posted with the banks in the differ
ent parts of the country for cop
moving purposes, all of which had to
be accounted for in the Office of the
treasurer.
No Danger of Loss.
I'm spite of all these burdens. the
treasury has made gains in all ex-
cept the bookkeeping section. There
is no danger of the government sus-
tanning great losses, as intimated, by
reason of checks not being cleared
promptly. Secretary Mcveagh's Or
der No. 5, specifically states that
banks receiving checks must use the
same judgment and discretion that
they do in handling commercial
checks.
"The banks all understand this,
and in addition to this the Office has
prepared instructions which have
been sent to all the banks, specifically
stating that checks will not be paid
unless the instructions in regard 10
endorsements are followed.
'The pension checks have instruc.
tions prepared by the secretary of the
interior printed on their backs. There
would be very little danger of loss
without these instructions, for the
reason that the banks and the sub
treasures would not pay said checks
unless the parties presenting them
were identified by someone known to
the bank or to the employees in the
II any bank should
pay a check without such precaution.
it deserves to lose the amount, If
it takes the precaution it is itself
guaranteed from loss by the persons
identifying the payee of the check.
Up to Congress-.
1.-THE representatives of the treas
ury endeavored to present the con-
dition of the Office to the committee
on appropriations, so that the COM
mittee might understand the exact
condition and know why the treasur-