The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-12-01
THE Posr.oPrICR DEPARTIENr.

THE P0ST.OFFICR DEPARTMENT.
wAsg1seros, November "a.
The following ~ some pf the leed.
ing featuresf q ( Postma1 sSsG -
James report RN Sks E 81
The total expenditures dau nsi be S1scl
wear ended June 81 last. wore g. s5f,
.46; total revenues, so, 7SJ, 397.W. Excess
Of expenditures, 81, 466, 1888. 40; other def.
eits. on account Of "bad debts" and "con.
promise" accounts, Outstanding the
fqal excesS Of Expenditures, $esAsl, e.dss
The humber Of postage.stanhps, 'pcstdl.>
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES efesssisgsetk1Ne.=
ing the year was 1,54,3ll,643, amounting
ID value to s4.625. 435.9l, agatnst = total
vsfhe during the previous fiscal yesf Of $a2,.
o07,8Aa46. Stiinfug 20 ssl,I sd3
sThe total amount ofp6stage collected dur
hug the year on newspapers and periodicals
mailed to, regular subscribers from known
Offices OF publication and from news agen.
cies, at two cents per pound. was 81, 399, 0a8-
a.. an increase Of $l72, 596.06 or a little over
II per cent. ,ssfH
The weight 81 second -class matter mailed
WIS 60. 9o9,2 Ss pounds, or 34.976 tons. The
number Of postoffices at which the matter
was mailed was 4,S9l, an increase Of 398 over
the number for the previous year. 'ie',a
DEAD LETTERS. s,,. = ~ loo
Bv notwithstanding based upon an actual
count made d every post-ofice in the Unit,
Cd States duriag the hrst week 10 Decem.
Der. 1880, It has been ascertained that the
whole number OF letters m .iled in this
country III the last fiscal year was 1.046,.
107, SfS.a The number reaching the Dead.
Letter Ofios during the same period was
A222 621, OF. ONE In every 3lh. The total
number Of letters and Of packages that
were Of sufficient value to BE- recorded and
filed, received during the year ended June
30. 1881, was a, GA, 2O5, an increase Of D4,-
G23 over the number received during the
preceding year. For convenience Of treat.
ment they were classified 40 follows: I'm
claimed domestic letters 2, 791 ,05O; held for
including 81 ,18i foreign letters with imper-.
feet or erroneous addresses; without any
superscription whatever (the majority of
them bearing stamps to pay postage), 9,47);
letters addressed to foreign countries, and
containing articles (coin, jewelry, etc.,
which are forbidden to be sent in the inter.
national mails, 1892; letters Of foreign ori.
gin, 2S4, l2s <of which 81 1884 were sent to
the Dead-Letter Office on account Of erro.
neous or imperfect addrcsses); foreign par
cells (unopcned), 1856; and domestic pack.
ages, 52,59l. ..,..s. 49, 's'.'-'
OF the letters and packages opened, 49,.
617 were found to contain money amount.
ing to $40, $3.50; 22,O12 contained drafts,
money orders, checks, notes, ETC., the az.
,gregate face value Of which was 81 ,S99, O62.
81; 37,97S contained receipts, paid liotes
and cancelled obligations OF all sorts; 80, 73l
contained photographs; 6l,556 contained
small remittances OF postage.stamps; and
10 %, 213 there were found valuable articles
Of third and fourth class matter in endless
variety. The amount of money separated
from dead letters for which no claimant
could be found was s6,5Sl.A), which was
deposited in the Treasury. The amount Of
postage collected upon short.paid matter
forwarded to destination, and upon uu-
claimed packages of third and fourth class
matter returned to owners, was "a, 100. 81.
The records Of the Department show that
6,3SS,9iS registered letters and packages
were mailed in this country during the
year. OF this number only 2.6l4 reached
the Dead Letter Office; and Of these ., ISL
were finally delivered to the owners, the
balance being placed on file awaiting iden.
u6cation by the parties interested. .al1g
THE POSTAL MoNEY.oRDER SYSTEM.
% The operations Of the money .order system
are multiplying yearly under the impulse o
prosperous trade and the influence of immi
grafton, with the rapid development Of thu
newer States and T .rritories, and the de-
mand for additional means Of intercommu-
nication and exchange. At the commence
ment Of the last fiscal year the total number
Of post-offices authorized to issue and Il
pay domestic money.orders was 1879
During the year al additional money. orde
------..-...,.ss., IravInY o, 1875 Ia operation OF
the aOth day Of June, 1881. Since then 33s
new Offices have been established, making
the whole number of money order offices ii
operation at date Of this report 5,499. The
number Of domestic money .orders issued
during the year was 1888, 81, of the aggre-
gate value Of sos. Ola, 1895; number Of or.
ders paid, 1927, ITO, amounting in value to
$1O4, 219, 871.65; to which must be added the
amount Of orders repaid to remitters $704.-
$50. making total of $l04, 924 $50. 81 ;
the excess Of issues over payments was
5o,915.H; the total amount of fees paid
BY the public to postmasters for the issue Of
domestic orders was 1866, 1920.
Seventy-seven cases of alleged lost remit.
tances Of surplus money -order funds
amounting to SO, 753 were under iuvestixa-
ton during the year, and claims were 6led
In thirty six cases on account Of alleged i'm.
proper payment Of money orders. The
amount Of oil these claims was $787.O7.
Their number, compared with the total
number OF payments made during the year
10 - one to $211, 1881. 81 a7ei
r Ninety.nine cases Of alleged improperly
paid money orders, amounting to "a, 16a 40,
were investigated during the year. In thir-
ty.three instances the amounts, the total OF
which was $477.75, were recovered by post.
Office inspectors and paid over to the right.
ful owners; IN seven cases, In which the
orders altogether amounted to $SA. Is, the
paying postmasters were, after due investi.
CATION, held responsible for the erroneous
payments; In four, where erroneous, nav.
mant was directly attributable to careless.
ness on the part Of remitters, payees, or iu-
dorsees, they were, required to sustain the
loss, $1A; in, nine,, the loss, $26S. 80 alto.
xether, was assumed by The Department, the
paying postmaster having been found not 1t
fault: and in eleven It was ascertained that
tho orders, amounting to 1925 50, had been
originally paid to the proper. persons.
Thirty. five claims, involving the payment Of
sec. -, were pending At the close Of the year.
The amount Of unclaimed money orders.
domestic and foreign, ct the close Of the
1scal year Is estimated by the Auditor ~
81, %, 00a s'There IL no provision Of law
under which this unclaimed money can be
disposed Of. It would seem to be expedi-
ent that . portion Of It should be turned
over to the Treasury for the service Of the
Post-ofiice Department The Superinteu.
dent Of the money .order system suggests
that It would be well to retain In the hands
oi the Assistant Treasurer for the opera.
lions Of the service = sum equal to the
nns,mA ~ al srnn~}d vnnrns, n~.1~.. A...s~-