Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-01

Washington Post: Mr.. II. D. Money. OF
Mississippi, vino succeeded Mr.. Waddell. OF
North Carolina, as chairman of the postofice
and postroad committee, has been devotlng
his undivided attention to the duties of his
position, and thinks he has hit upon a meas
ure which will be of great service to the pub
lie, if adopted. bill has already been in
troduced by Mr.. Money to effect the object |
desired, and as it is probably of as much in- |
terest as any other pending legislation, |
Post reporter was dispatched to hunt Mr..
Money up and interview him.
"What is the object" said the Posts
young man, as he fixed his penetrating eye
on the Mississippi statesman, ''of your billf'
"The object is stated in the text, said Mr..
Money. cit is to secure the most speedy de-
livery of letters to the writer in cases where
the party addressed does not receive them,
from any cause whatever, such as a failure
to take them from the office, ELIGIBILITY of
address, indisposition to receive them, or
otherwise"
"And how do you propose to facilitate the
matterP"
1T is very obvious that in a country the
extent of this, where we have postal lines
three thousand miles long, return-letter
Office at one point only, and that one point
Washington, on the extreme eastern boun-
Diary of the continent, is insufficient for the
speedy delivery of letters or packages to the
original sender, in case of non delivery"
'What is the average distance of carnage
of mail matter In the United States?"
about one thousand eight hundred and
thirteen miles. This fact OF itself is SUI
ficient to demonstrate the necessity of the
return letter Offices the bill proposes to es-
tabllsh. All the postal reforms in this, as in
all other countries, areitaken from the British
system; they were engrafted on that system,
| in spite of the strenuous opposition of postal
| officials, and we've, in every instance, the
| suggestions OF persons disconnected with the
service. The fast mail-coach system, cheap
| postage, uniform postage, and the railway
| postal-car were all resisted. The postothce
! money-order system was allowed to be con-
| Quoted as private enterprise by three post
Office clerks for forty years before the depart
ment would assume its functions"
"What stimulated these reforms?"
1.-The commercial character of the British
people demanded increased communication,
and the result is, the best conceived and the
best administered postal system in the world.
Its efficiency, however, IS greatly promoted
| by the fact that they have q real civil service.
Great Britain has had no such thing as a
dead-letter office. She has return-letter Off
ces. Until within a very few years past our
| government had no return-letter office, let
ters and packages, unless they contained val
uables, being destroyed. The term dead
letter expressed their fate literally"
''How many of these return-letter offices
has great Britaln?"
''She began with one. In the year 1872 she
had three-in London, Edinburgh and Dub
lin. In 1873 Glasgow was added; and as the
experiment proved successful the number
was enlarged until now there are In that
country one hundred and seventy-two Offices
from which undelivered letters are returned
to the writers, with eight principal Offices.
''What are the facilities in this country fol
returning undelivered letters?
Under the law, as 1t exists, letters, II not
delivered, remain In the offices to which theI
are sent until advertised in the discretion o
| the postmaster; but not oftener than once
week. They remain in the local Office In the
discretion of the postmaster general, accord
ing TO his regulations on the subject"
"What is the number of undelivered let
ters per annum received at the dead-lette
office In Washington"
1.-THE last report made by the postmaster
general shows daily average of letters ant
packages, received at the dead-letter otict
here In Washington, of ten thousand On
hundred and eighty-one. These letters AM
bank notes, checks. drafts, wills, jewelry
certificates, and every class and character Q
legal papers, and their non-dellyery, or fail
ure to reach their destination, or be returned
to the writer or sender, of course, works an
noyance, vexation and trouble, greatly EN-
barrassing business, etc. Take, for example
an extreme case: A gentleman at Oakland
across the bay, three miles from San Francis
co. writes letter of Importance to a cor
respondent In the latter city, and from som
cause, such as illeglble address. absence fror
the city, ETC., the time for the delivery ex
pres. The letter should then have bsen re
turned to the writer, for even the knowledg
of its non-delivery is of the utmost impoI
lance. This letter could be returned in thirt
| minutes to the writer, but instead of this it
ssfiRtit f three zee. thousand miles to MsshingtoI
land"
"What number of these return-letter OF
. fees do you propose to establish ~
+ sit Is the intention of the bill that the e.
q pertinent shalt be made with small numbe
: of offices. If the result is encouraging th
system can be extended; il otherwise, abo
: ished. The Importance wall be seen Of eac
commercial center having a return-l ettt
! Office for the whole area which natural
! | transacts business with it"