The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-09-04


gan, mailed registered package containing
200 to a New York bank
The money failed to reach its destination,
and there is big furry over the affair.
The loss was not discovered until the pack
age was opened in New York, and now the
question of the hour is, where was the
money stolen and who is the guilty party?
The New York dailies have taken a hand
in the NATTER and are befuddling the post
office inspectors with their theories and
suggestions. Was the money stolen in
Portland or in New York? The Herald
takes the position that 1t was distracted
from the package in New York, but it is
just as reasonable to suppose that the rob-
berry occurred in Portland.
Perhaps many people do not clearly I'M
derstand this registered letter business.
The government gets an extra fee for trans
hitting registered letter, and makes ar
rangements to handle it carefully, and get
receipt to be forwarded to the sender
when the letter is delivered to the party to
whom 1t is addressed. But the govern
ment does not bind itself to indemnify the
loser. When the money is lost or stolen
there is no remedy.
Let us see how this branch of the mail
traffic is conducted in a large city, in New
York for instance. The letter is registered
at every stage of its progress from the office
of entry to tie office of delivery. A clerk
takes it at his window, stamps number on
it, makes record of it, and gives the
sender a receipt bearing this number. When
the letters accumulate at this window a
clerk removes them and gives his receipt for
each numbered letter. Other clerks CLASH
fly the letters making a record at each new
step o! the passage OF the letters through
the office.
These are some of the precautions taken
before the registered letters are securely
locked up in the postal car. They would
seem to be sufficient to Insure safe transit,
and yet such letters are stolen in the mails
almost every week.
People should understand that when they
register letter they put dishonest postofiice
clerks upon notice that the envelope con-
tans something Of value. A sharp and Il II
scrupulous clerk, thoroughly acquainted
with the routine Of the Office, will sooner or
later successfully break through the safe
guards thrown around these letters. Not
many years ago New York postoffice clerk
stole a package containing thousands Of
dollars from under the noses of the officers
OF the registry department. Another clerk
stole dozens Of letters before he was de-
tected. He was window clerk, and just
before his lunch hour he would put number
OF the letters received at his window in his
pocket. When he got outside he would
open the letters, take the money, reseal the
envelope and send them on their way after
he returned to the Office.
The man who stole the Portland letter
may be found and punished, but the money
may not be recovered. 4 case Ike this is
well-calcula:ed to make people question the
usefulness Of the registered letter system
One suggestion that has beer made Is wor-
thy OF consideration. 1t is to pay response
bic postoiiice clerks better salaries. As a
rule the men in this service are educated
men Of more than ordinary intelligence.
Their work is hard and burdened with
heavy responsibilities. Yet these clerks are
barely able to live on their salaries. 1t is
10 wonder that some OF them, very few,
be it said to their credit, occasionally yield
to temptation. 1t would be well to try the
experiment Of paying them what their ser
vices are really worth. In the end it would
probably make the postoliice department
more efficient, and save money to the
vublic