Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-10-04
THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

Postal System May be strengthened.
The following information and sug-
gestions relating to the United States
postal system are taken from a lengthy
circular just issued by the superinten-
dent of the dead letter Office, Mr.. ID.
p. Leibhardt:
Over 100000 pieces of mail matter
are sent annually to the dead letter
office by reason of incorrect, ineligible
or deficient address, insufficient post
age, etc. This is a daily average OF
over 10000 pieces. Matter sent to the
dead letter Office which cannot be de-
livered to the person addressed, is re-
quired to be opened and if it contains
10 valuable Enclosure it must be de-
stroyed. Letters opened and found to
contain any enclosure of obvious val
ne are recorded and subject to reclaim
alton. Packages and parcels are re-
corded and where they do not disclose
the name and address of the owner,
are filed; if not called for or claimed
within two years they are disposed of
at auction. A large proportion Of the
packages sent to the dead letter office
fail to be restored to the owners be-
cause of the absence on the wrappers
or Enclosures Of anything to indicate
ownership thereof
Information as to the character and
nature Of the matter thus received at
the dead letter office, and the condi-
tons and influences which occasion
its failure to reach the persons to whom
the senders designed it TO go may be
of interest. Of the unclaimed and
undeivered mail matter received at
the dead letter office during the past
year 45l 900 We're letters misdirected
Or only partially addressed, while
$4,000 were entirely blank; $4,000
were letters held for postage; 10000
were letters mainly addressed to per-
sons in care of hotels; $4,000 were let
tiers to fictitious addresses; $4,000 were
parcels of merchandise, books, cloth
ing, needle-work, jewelry, etc, many
of which were misdirected, while 9TH
ers were without wrapper, having
been insecurity inclosed, and others
from which the address had become
separated and lost; $4,000 contained
money amounting in all to $4S,642
1000 had Enclosures Of postal notes in
small sums under So, aggregating
$500; $1,000 were found to contain
drafts, checks, notes, commercial pa
per, etc., in the sum OFFS, 1871, and
$4,000 contained paid and Cancelled OBJ
legations, receipts, deed, mortgages,
etc.; $4,000 contained photographs,
1000 contained articles forbidden to 60
through the mails, and upon being
opened were found to contain lottery
tickets, which, under the law, are un-
mailable; 10000 contained postage
stamps in small amounts; 53l, 00C
were letters and 4l,0O0 parcels Of
printed matter, samples, etc., which
had been mailed in foreign countrie;
to post offices within the United States
while 205,0OO were letters and 47,00C
parcels, books, samples of merchan'
disc, etc., which had been mailed in
the United States addressed 10 foreign
countries. Over five million of the
letters received at the dead letter Of
fee contained no enclosure of obvious
value, though many of them were al
important to both sender and the ont
addressed as thousands Of other letters
containing money, checks, stamps, etc.
and yet OF this immense number o.
letters over three million bore within
either no definite or sufficient address
of the writer-in most cases no ed
dress whatever-or there was no sig
nature whereby the writer might b'
identified or determined.
Il
Misdirection, incorrect, Ineligible oil
deficient address are given as leading
causes which occasion the failure o.
mail matter to reach its proper desti
nation, and affect alike that which Il
90 addressed to either city, town, o.
village.
In addition to these, in the case o
matter mailed TO cities or free-delivery
oa.o, ,ra fI,a faflnra a iva efraaf nj