New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-05
DEAD LETTERS.

DEAD LEIIENss
The Rockville Gazette, published in Tolland
County, Conn, in an article on Post-Ofice mis-
management, which we copy in another column,
says that a paper mandatory in that neighbor-
hood lately received lot of waste paper from
the New-York Post Office containing dead letters
in which were found SlO5. From Springfield,
Mass, q letter with $40 was received. Out OF
seven or eieh. sacks from the Post-Otfice at
Providence. r. l., about ss:lf bushcl of letters
were found, and among them one containing
money and insurance papers of value. A lot OF
paper from the Hartford Post-Ofice, had
among others letter mailed at Pittsfeld, Mass,
directed to firm in Hartford, which contained
a check for $780,
These facts show that there is gross careless
ness on the part of those engaged In the man
agement of the Post-Ofice Department III
bales of waste paper containing dead letters
have been cent off from the New-York Post
Office or elsewhere it is grievous fault and
the Government should lose no time in looking
into the facts. 1t is well known that many. Jet
tiers miscarry and are lost; and it would seem
from such cases as those narrated above thatsuch
accidents must be due to the remissness OF the
Department itself in the discharge OF its duties.
The truth is that the entire system OF manag-
ing Dead Letters is wrong and requires
thorough overhauling. Advertised letters should
be immediately forwarded to the General POST
Office and if found to contain anything valuable
should be at once returned to the writers; tho
latter should not be compelled to wait three,
six or nine months for what they might obtain
in as many weeks. The General Government
is a slow coach at best, but there is more dis
patch in most of the Departments than in that
through which the Dead Letters pass. A letter
SO unfortunate as to fall into that channel is very
likely to be buried and lost for ever.
There is now new class Of letters forwarded
to the General Office; we refer to such as are
deposited in the Office without being prepaid
man may be in a hurry and honestly forget to
put ON a stamp, though the letter is very i'm
pOrtant one. 1t may contain a remittance, and
he wonders that its receipt is not acknowledged.
But it has gone into the Dead-Letter Depart
ment, and there it must reman-it is difficult to
say how long. 1t is certain that he will hear
nothing Of it for many months.
The number Of Dead Letters will doubtless
largely increase under the existing Post-Ofice
law: Why should not some plan be devised by
which they may be disposed of at once-the VAL
liable ones returned to the writers and the
others destroyed Why should not the Govern
ment act promptly The trouble would be no
more, and the cost little if any greater. Among
business men il is settled principle, that when
particular duties are to be performed the sooner
they are discharged the better. They hold that
nothing is to be gained by delay. Promptness
is economy. 1t is so among private individuals.
II cannot be otherwise when practiced by pub
lie functionaries.
Just look at the present system. letter
comes to the New-York Office. II is not called
for-consequently it is advertised. Still, it re-
mains in the Office. The individual to whom it
is addressed may be dead or absent. At the
close of the quarter following the one when it
was mailed il goes to the Dead-letter Office
where it takes its turn among million of other
letters. 1t may be reached in three months and
it may not If mailed, for instance, on the I'd
day Of April, about the commencement Of
Office at the close of the following quarter,
the last day Of September or the fret Of Oc-
tober; then if it happens to be one Of the last
letters opened it would be reached about the
first of January, or about nine months from the
time IL ras mailed
But will it then be returned TO the writerf
1t will if found to contain anything valuable;
that is, if any valuable thing has been inclosed
in it. The letter itself is not read; it is pre-
sumed to be unimportant if it contains nothing
beyond the bare manuscript. When letter is
returned it is registered in book, with name,
place Of mailing, and the writer's address; the
number Of entries made, including superscrip-
ton, is seventeen, and an expert clerk Is able
to return about thirty letters per day!
In view Of these facts, who will say that our