The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1890-10-04

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parcels, books, samples of merchandise
etc, which had been mailed within th,
United States addressed to foreign coun
tries, and having failed of delivery a
their destination, were sent to the Deas
Letter Office by foreign postal admins
:! trations.
Over five million of the letters received
at the Dead Letter Office contained no in
closure Of obvious value, although doubt
less many of them were quite as valuabl.
and important to both sender and ad
dressee as thousands Of other letters con
tanning money, checks, stamps, ETC.; anl
yet of this immense number of letters
over three million bore within either NJ
definite or sufficient address of the writer
in most cases no address whatever-ol
there was no signature whereby the writer
might be identified or determined, with
out which the Dead Letter Office coulC
not make return.
Misdirection, incorrect, illegible and
deficiens address are given as leading
causes which occasion the failure of mail
matter to reach its proper destination,
and effect alike that which is SO address
ed to either city, town or village. ;.
In addition to these, in the case of
matter mailed to cities of ree-delivery
offices, are the failure to give street OF
number, business or occupation, or some
designated place of delivery of the per.
son addressed; inability to find transient
people, and their neglect to give fer
warding orders for their mail; the ne
glect Of permanent or temporary resi-
dents to notify the carriers or post Office
OF change of place for the delivery of
their mail matter upon moving from one
part of the city to another, together with
the failure of newcomers to furnish the
post office with their names and places Of
address. 1t is to these causes, with
others of more or less consequence that
the non-delivery of mail matter is, in the
main, attributable; and they are condi-
tions over which the postal service has
no control, and may alone be remedied
by the people themselves.
The following suggestions, if observed,
will aid the dispatch and delivery of mat
ter sent through the mails, or its return
directly to the sender in the event of non
delivery. and thus prevent the annoy
ance, delay and embarrassment caused by
sending matter to the Dead Letter Office:
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 abbrevi
ations, as frequently used, the name of
the State should be given in full. In the
case of mail addressed to small offices, Or
different States, the name of the county
should be added.
AS the immense grantity of matter sent
through the mails IS necessarily required
to be handled rapidly by the railway
mail clerks and at the post Office in the
cities, too much care cannot be exercised
in addressing mail matter clearly, plainly
and correctly.
Where mail matter is addressed to
cities or free delivery offices the street
and house number or post-off1ce box
number of the person addressed are i'm
portant, and should always be given
when it is possible to do so.
Where this cannot be done, thes bust
ness or employment of the person adj
dressed, if stated, will often secure de-
livery.
The freedelivery Offices. being in the
cities and larger townsville trade centeTs
Of the country-have large, varying
and transient population which cannot
oe known to the post Office officials in the
same degree as in the smaller places and
delivery is, therefore, made the more diff
icult; and where recourse must be had to
city directories they are often found inn
perfect and incomplete. so that themeans
If ascertaining the location of the ad-
3roccoo iu fo,pl ond
delivery fails because the person is not
known or cannot be found.
A small proportion only of the mail re-
,eived at the free-delivery offices is called
ror at the general delivery of the post
ofice, the public expecting delivery by
he letter carriers; and hence the i'm
0ortance Of giving street and number, or
some other designation whereby the per-
'on addressed may be found
Matter mailed to cities and free deliv-
cry offices, addressed without street and
number, or some other designation enab-
ing delivery, goes into the general deIiv-
,ry, subject to be called for: and of such
natter the statistics Of the post offices of
ome of the larger cities show that not !
more than % per cent. is called for.
Letters addressed to persons tempora-
lily sojourning in a city where the letter
carrier system is in operation should be
marked Transient" or General Deliv-
,ry," if not addressed to street and
lumber, or some other designated place
If delivery.
The name and address of the sender,
.ither printed or written. should be I
placed upon the upper left-hand corner /
# the envelope or wrapper of all matter !
nailed.
This will secure its immediate return
o the sender from the mailing Office for
correction if improperly addressed, in
paid, or otherwise defective;
hus affording opportunity to comply I
With the postal regulations and require
nents, and place the matter in proper
condition to entitle it to all the privileges
# the mails. and is especially useful in
he case of packages and other matter
nailable at less than letter rate of post
lge; which is restricted to certain condi-.
ions and requirements as to weipht, size
md manner of inclosure, etc.
Letters and all other matter mailed, so
marked with the name and address of the /
ender, that should fail to be called for I