The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-11-06
DEAD MALL MATTER.


William Winter, in Harper's Weekly.
DEAD NAIL MATTER.
An Interesting Circular Issued by
the Dead Letter Office.
why Millions OF Letters and Parcels Fall
to Reach Their Destinatton-snggcs.
tions That should 10 Observed
by Everybody.
Over six million pieces OF mail mat
ter are sent annually to the Dead Letter
Office by reason of incorrect. illegible,
ordefcient address, insufficient postage,
insecure inclosing, whereby matter
mailed becomes separated from the en-
velope or wrapper, or the failure to be
called for or delivered to the person ad-
dressed. This is daily average of
over twenty thousand pieces.
OF these the greater portion either
are not called for at the post-office to
which they are directed, or. in case of
free-deliyery Offices, the addresses can
not be found, notwithstanding every
known means is resorted to on the part
of the postal officials to effect delivery.
Matter sent to the Dead Letter Office,
which can not be delivered to the per-
son addressed, is required to be opened
in its treatment for the purpose Of re-
turn to the sender, and il the name and
address Of the sender be not shown or
can not be ascertained from the con-
tents, and it contains no valuable in
closure, it must be destroyed.
Letters opened and found to contain
any inclosure of obvious value are en-
tered upon proper records, and, Of such,
those which do not disclose sufficient
information to enable them to be re-
turned are filed. subject to reclamation
upon proper application and identified
tion.
Letters which contain no inclosure Of
obvious value are not recorded.
Packages and parcels are recorded,
and where they do not disclose the
name and address of the owner are
filed; If not called for or claimed with
in two years they are disposed of at
public auction and the proceeds covered
into the United States Treasury.
A large proportion Of the packages
and parcels sent to the Dead Letter Of
fee fail to be restored to the owners
because Of the absence on the wrappers
or enclosures Of any thing to indicate
ownership thereof.
Information as to the character and
nature of the matter thus received ct
the Dead Letter Office, and the condi-
tions and influences which occasion its
failure to reach the persons to whom
the senders designed 1t to go, may be OF
| interest, and the mere statement of It
carries with it suggestions which may
| serve the public in its exercise Of postal
| privileges.
! During last year 45l. 900 letters were
either misdirected or insufiiciently di.
rccted, while 24,000 were not directed
at all. OF the latter many were from
business houses containing money,
drafts, stocks and important instruc.
tions. Many of these were doubtless
mailed by clerks. Ninety-eight thou.
sand were to domestic, Canadian Ol
Mexican addresses held for POSTAGE
165. 600 we're to guests at hotels; 80, OOl
wero parcels Of merchandise, books,
clothing, needle-work, jewelry or Other
valuable matter; and $4,000 contained
money amounting in all to S48,642
Postal notes to the value of -, 500 In
sums under S. were found In 4.OO(
pieces; while drafts, checks, notes and
other commercial paper in the sum o.
Sl,47l.S7 were found in $1,000 others
Forty.eight thousand contained paid
and cancelled obligations, receipts and
miscellaneous papers. One hundred AMI
sixty-two thousand contained postage
| stamps.
Forty-two thousand were letters k
fictitious addresses and principally cor
respondence relating TO what is known
rs green goods" or saw dust" swim
dies, many Of them containing money
with orders for the purchase Of these
fraudulent goods. Parties engaged II
such enterprises invariably use IN as
sumed name. and when the character
and business Of such persons is discov
cred by the postal authorities such mat
ter addressed to then. is declared "ficti.
tious," and delivery withheld
Forty-two Thousand contained photo
graphs. 1000 contained articles forbid
den to be transmitted through the mails
and 1900 upon being opened were
found to contain lottery tickets. which
under the terms of the law. are declared
unmai.able.
Five hundred and thirty-one tn III
sand were letters, and 4l,0O0 parcels o
printed matter, samples, etc., whic!
had been mailed in foreign countries t,
post offices within the United States
and failing Of delivery were sent to th'
Dead Letter Office, and thence returne,
to the postal administered tions Of thei
respective countries OF origin, un
opened.
Two hundred and five tl-,asand wcr
letters. and $4,000 were parcels, books
samples OF merchandise etc. which ha,
been mailed within the United State
addressed to foreign countries. and hav
Ing failed Of delivery at their destina
tion, were sent to TO the Dead Latte
Office by foreign postal administrations
Over 100000 Of the letters receives
at the Dead Letter Office contained n
inclosure of obvious value, althoug
doubtless many of them were quite Il
valuable and important to both sende
and addressee as thousands of othe
letters containing money, checks
stamps, etc, and yet Of this immens
number Of letters over 3.000,O 900 Dor
within either no definite or suillcien
address of the writer-in most cases n
address whatever-or there was no sis
nature whereby the writer might b
identified or determined, without whic
the Dead Letter Office could not max
return.
These facts teach that envelope
should always be plainly and explicitl
directed, and that no letter or packag
should be mailed without the sddres