bonding, efficiency, recommendations, and complaints of rural mail carriers; and correspondence concerning the establishment, changes, schedules, and discontinuance of rural mail routes. In two groups: In two groups: (1) arranged alphabetically by name of post office, 1901-17, and (2) "State Files-Appointment Section," arranged alphabetically by name of State and thereunder chronologically, 1913-20.

53

Records retained to illustrate the accounting records of the period, consisting of (1) accounts of rearrangements, amendments, and discontinuances in the Rural-Delivery Service, 1906-8; (2) accounts of various items paid (service, substitutes, clerks in rural stations, tolls, and ferriage) from the general appropriation for Rural-Delivery Service, Village-Delivery Service, and Star Service, 1908-16; (3) accounts for travel and miscellaneeous expenses in the postal-service office of the Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, clerks in charge of substations, rural carriers, and toll and ferriage, 1906-7; and (4) accounts of star payments by the New York, Chicago, and San Francisco subtreasuries, 1917-19. Arranged in the order mentioned.

RECORDS OF THE BUREAU OF ACCOUNTS

The compilation of audits and the settlement of accounts for the General Post Office were placed within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury by an act of September 2, 1789 (1 Stat. 66). The se accounting functions were transferred to the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury on March 3, 1817 (3 Stat. 366), and to the Sixth Auditor on July 2, 1836 (5 Stat. 81).

The functions remained within the Treasury Department until the Bureau of Accounts was established in the Post Office Department in accordance with the Budget and Accounting Act of June 10, 1921 (42 Stat. 24), to perform the duties formerly assigned to the Sixth Auditor. The Bureau, comprising a Headquarters Office (also known as the Office of the Comptroller) and the several Divisions of Accounts, Cost Ascertainment, and Methods and Procedures performed the following: (1) examined all accounts of salaries and incidental expenses, all postal and money-order accounts of postmasters, and accounts relating to the transportation of mail; and (2) certified quarterly to the Postmaster General an accounting of postmasters' funds and of the general expenses of the postal service. The General Accounting Office audited and preserved these accounts in compliance with legislation regarding the fiscal operations of the Government.

The Bureau of Accounts was terminated by the Postmaster General on June 12, 1953. Its functions were then transferred to a newly established Bureau of the Controller, which was itself terminated on November 1, 1954. The functions are now assigned to the Bureau of Finance.

GENERAL RECORDS. 1889-1924. 23 ft.

54

Letters received, copies of letters sent, memoranda, reports, statements, bulletins, and lists relating to the operation of the bureau. Arranged

alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE. 1904-18. 20 vols. 2 ft.

55

Press copies of outgoing letters of the Auditor of the Treasury for the Post Office Department containing mainly information about personnel and audits of postal accounts. Interspersed among the letters are lists of employees, the indebted postal accounts of postmasters, requisitions for repairs and supplies, and inventories of equipment. Arranged chronologically.

RECORDS OF THE BUREAU OF THE CHIEF INSPECTOR

From the beginning of the Post Office Department, the Postmaster General employed the Assistant Postmasters General as special agents to investigate the operations of post offices. As early as June 14, 1790, the Postmaster General prepared detailed instructions for reporting on irregularities discovered during visits to post offices. The supervision of this activity was assigned, at about this time to the Office of Instructions, within, the Office of the Postmaster General. In 1830 the Office of Instructions was redesignated the Office of Instructions and Mail Depredations and was assigned to the Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster General.

From 1835 to 1939 the responsibility for the supervision of investigations of mail depredations was transferred by the Postmaster General successively to the following organizational units: Miscellaneous Division, Office of the Postmaster General; Contract Division, Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster General; Office of Mail Depredations, Office of the Postmaster General; Division of Special Agents and Mail Depredations, Office of the Postmaster General; Division of Post Office Inspectors and Mail Depredations, first in the Office of the Postmaster General and later in the Office of the Fourth Assistant Postmaster General; and the Division of Post Office Inspectors, Office of the Postmaster General.

On February 2, 1939, the Postmaster General established the Bureau of the Chief Inspector, comprising an Office of the Chief Inspector, and three divisions, namely, Administrative Investigations, Mail Investigations, and Financial Investigations. The Bureau was authorized to investigate all matters relating to depredations upon the mails; consider complaints of criminal offenses against the postal services; handle claims for rewards granted for the prosecution of offenders against postal laws; supervise the Post Office Inspection Service; and inspect the finances, property, and equipment of the Post Office Department.

The director of the inspection agents of the Post Office Department was known during various periods as the Chief Post Office Inspector, Division Superintendent, Division Chief, Chief Special Agent, and Chief Inspector. When the Bureau of the Chief Inspector was organized in 1939, its functions included the general supervision of the departmental Bureau and the field Post Office Inspection Service; the development and administration of inspection policies and programs; the selection, assignment,

and separation of departmental and field personnel of the Bureau; and the maintenance of liaison with the National Archives, the Army, and the Navy.

LETTERS SENT BY THE CHIEF SPECIAL AGENT. May 21, 1875-July 11, 1877. 1 vol. 2 in. 56

Press copies of letters sent by the Chief Special Agent, Office of Mail Depredations, to special agents of the Inspection Division in the field, to postmasters, and to other postal officials relating to irregularities in receiving, handling, and dispatching mail. Arranged chronologically. The volume is indexed by name of person, post office, and State.

2 ft.

REGISTER OF ARRESTS FOR OFFENSES AGAINST POSTAL LAW. Aug. 1864-Jan. 1875; Jan. 1878-May 1897. 13 vols. 57 Shows the date of arrest, name of prisoner, official position, where and by whom arrested, alleged offense, and remarks. In some cases the disposition of the case is written in over the entry. Arranged chronologically with a name index for each volume.

INDEX TO ARRESTS. Jan. 1, 1888-Dec. 31, 1891; Jan. 1, 1895-June 30, 1899. 3 vols. 6 in. 58 An index of arrests, showing the names of the prisoner and arresting agent and date and place of arrest. Each volume is divided into two parts: the first is arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the surname, and the second, alphabetically by division (field office).

CASE FILE OF INVESTIGATIONS. Nov. 1877-Dec. 1903. 157 ft.

59

Correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other papers relating to individual violators of postal laws and regulations. A typical file includes the report of arrest, a photograph of the violator, correspondence with post-office inspectors explaining the nature of the violation, the report of indictment, exhibits, newspaper clippings, and a report of the result of the trial and final disposition. The records from November 1877 to June 1899 are arranged chronologically, and from June 1899 to December 1903, numerically, 1 to 6339. A name index is retained by the Office of the Chief Inspector. A case file relating to a mail robbery in 1838 is filed at the beginning of the series.

STATEMENTS OF ARRESTS. Jan. 1881-Dec. 1890. 1 vol. 2 in.

60 Printed statements of arrests of post-office employees by post-office inspectors and others for violations of the postal laws. Lists the date of arrest, name, official position of the violator, where and by whom arrested, offense, and remarks. Arranged chronologically by month.

RECORDS RELATING TO THE RAILWAY-MAIL-SERVICE INVESTIGATION. Feb.-May 1925. 1 ft.

61

Mainly correspondence and reports of an investigation of the 15 divisions of the Railway Mail Service, conducted in April and May 1925 in response to a request of February 3, 1925, from the Second Assistant Postmaster General to the Chief Inspector. The reports pertain to the status of work, methods of operation, and morale of employees and include sugges

tions for improving the service.

Unarranged. A copy of the letter of

Feb. 3, 1925, and a memorandum embodying instructions to inspectors are filed at the beginning of the series.

ROSTERS. 1898-1909. 1 ft.

62

Rosters of post-office inspectors and clerks at division headquarters, showing the date of original appointment, dates of promotions, salary, State, method of appointment, and (where applicable) travel commission number. Arranged chronologically.

CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO TRAVEL COMMISSIONS. 1898-1939. 5 ft. 63 Letters received, copies of letters sent, and related material pertaining to the issuance of travel commissions by the Postmaster General. Included are reports on lost or canceled commissions, acknowledgments of receipt and requests for issuance of new commissions, and a list of commissions canceled between 1872 and 1912. Arranged chronologically.

LISTS OF TRAVEL COMMISSIONS. 1898-1902, 1904-1924, 1933-1939. 1 ft.

64

Lists of travel commissions that were issued annually by the Postmaster General to agents of the Inspection Office, the Railway Mail Service, and certain officials of the Post Office Department. These lists show the travel commission number, name and title of the individual, and the date issued. Arranged chronologically.

ANNUAL REPORTS. 1905-35. 2 ft.

65

Copies of the annual reports of the Office of the Chief Inspector to the Postmaster General, with related correspondence and exhibits pertaining to the preparation of the reports. Arranged chronologically.

66

PRESS REPORTS. Nov. 1918-Jan. 1921, Mar. 1921-May 1922. 1 ft. Bimonthly General Intelligence Press Reports of the Justice Department on the activities of the radical press in the United States. is indexed by name of publication or organization mentioned. chronologically.

Each report
Arranged

RECORDS OF THE INSPECTION OFFICE, ST. LOUIS, MO. Sept. 28, 1876-June 3, 1878. 2 vols. 67

4 in.

Press copies of letters and reports sent by the Special Agent in Charge to the Chief Special Agent, Inspection Office, Washington, D. C., and other post-office officials concerning mail depredations, post-office personnel, and administrative matters. Arranged chronologically. Each volume is indexed by name of post office.

RECORDS OF THE INSPECTION OFFICE, DENVER COLO. Dec. 20, 1879-May 8, 1907. 32 vols. 5 ft. 68 Press copies of records sent by the Post Office Inspector in Charge to the Chief Postal Inspector, Washington, D. C., and by special agents of Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming to the Post Office Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division. They comprise (1) evaluations of

inspections of star, rural, messenger, and money order services and of post offices; (2) special reports about post-office construction, postmasters, mail contractors, rural mail carriers, postal clerks, and stagecoach robberies; (3) requests for postal stationery and lock boxes; (4) diagrams of proposed post-office locations; and (5) case reports concerning evasion of postage charges, fraudulent use of the mail, tampering with registered mail, post-office robberies, burning of post offices, and postmasters' embezzlements. Arranged chronologically.

RECORDS OF THE INSPECTION OFFICE, PHILADELPHIA, PA. May 12, 1896-July 21, 1909. 34 vols. 6 ft. 69 Press copies of records sent by the Post Office Inspector in Charge to the Chief Postal Inspector, Washington, D. C., and by the special agent and Rural Mail Delivery District Supervisor, Pittsburgh Division, to the Post Office Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division. They comprise (1) Forms 567-D, 567-E, 567-F, 568-A, 573-A, 573-K, and 576-A relating to reports of arrest and preliminary hearing, indictment, result of trial or final disposition, validity of postmaster's bond, irregularities at post offices, recommendations to remove postal employees, and evaluations of post-office inspections; (2) reports and descriptions of rural routes from postal inspectors about such subjects as evasion of postage charges, fraudulent use of the mail, tampering with registered mail, postoffice robberies, mail losses, burning of post offices, and mutilation of mail. Arranged chronologically.

RECORDS OF THE INSPECTION OFFICE, NEW YORK, N. Y. April 27-May 28, 1907, and Sept. 10-Oct. 7, 1908. 2 vols. 4 in. 70

Press copies of records sent by the Post Office Inspector in Charge to the Chief Postal Inspector, Washington, D. C. They comprise (1) Form 573b, showing the condition of accounts of post offices; (2) form letters approving bonds issued to postmasters; and (3) case reports from field postal inspectors about such subjects as evasion of postage charges, fraudulent use of the mail, tampering with registered mail, post-office robberies, mail losses, burning of post offices, and mutilation of mail. Arranged chronologically.