Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-10-16
zee rEAp LETTEH oFF1cE.
Some Significant Figurss-Hints to
Letter Writers.

Letter Wr1Jers.
The persons who make mistakes in
directing. letters or who send letters to
fictitious addresses areapparently legion,
according to a recent report from the
Dead-Letter Office. In the last year
0,000, 900 pieces of mail were sent to the
Dead-Letter Office at Washington. Four
hundred and f5ty-one thousand letters
were misdirected or only partially ad.
dressed; $4,000 envelopes were entirely
blank, containing no address at all. One
hundred and sixty-fve letters were ad-
dressed to persons in care Of hotels, who
had departed without leaving their ad-
dress or forwarding ordess. Forty-two
thousand were sent to fictitious addresses,
and were principally letters concerning
green goods or sawdust swindles.
A large proportion of the packages re-
ceived at the Dead Letter Office was made
up of those upon which the required
amount of postage had not been placed.
Twenty-eight thousand letters and pack
ages contained money amounting to
$4s, ,642, and 81, 900 contained drafts and
checks, notes and commercial paper
worth in the aggregate $1,471, 81.
Eleven thousand had lottery tickets
within the envelopes. The department
recommends to correspondents to write
the full name of the State to which a
letter or package is to be sent, and in the
case of packages TO add the sendcr's name,
while care is taken as to the proper post
age.
Misdirection, incorrect, illeglble and
deficient address are given by the De-
partment as leading causes which occa-
sion the failure of mail matter to reach
its proper destination, and affect alike
that which is so addressed to either city,
town, or village.
Mail matter should be plainly and cor
rectly addressed, the name of the post
office to which it is to be sent should be
clearly and distinctly stated, and to
avoid confusion from the similarity of
authorizations, as frequently used, the
name of the State should also be given in
full. In the case of mail addressed to
small offices, or where there are offices of
like names in different States, the name
of the county should be added.
The name and address of the sender,
either printed or written, should be
placed upon the upper left-hand corner
of the envelope or wrapper of all matter
mailed. This will secure its immediate
return to the sender from the mailing
office for correction if improperly adj
dressed, insufficicntly paid, or otherwise
defective; thus affording opportunity to
comply with the postal regulations and
requirements, and place the matter in
proper condition to entitle it to all the
privileges of the mails, and is especially
useful in case of packages and other
matter mailable at less than letter rate of
postage, which is restricted to certain
conditions and requirements as to weight,
size, manner of inclosure, etc.
In mailing packages addressed to for
eign countries, care should be taken to
ascertain whether they are prohibited
from transmission to the country of des-
tination, or can only be forwarded when
the postage is fully prepaid at foreign
letter rates. cents per half ounce.
Persons desiring to mail matter other
than letters to foreign countries should
consult their postmasters, who, being
provided with the postal laws and regu-
lations, are enabled to give proper infor-
nation respecting conditions, etc., etc.,
of mailing to foreign countries.
All valuable matter to be sent by mail
should be registered. 1t will thus re-
ceive such protection as it is not always
possible to give to matter sent in the or
dinary mails. Money should be sent by
money order or registered letter.