The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-10-16
DEAD LETTER OFFICE,
THE QUESTION "WHAT's THE NAT
TER WITH THE MAIL" ANSWERED.

| would Savc 81 Great Dea! of TroubIe ;,
Letter Writers, thcir Corrcspondc,, 9.
and Postal Officials.
Inc dead letter Office of the pOstonicc
department at Washington, u. c.. has
sent out circular for public informa-
tlon, from which the following extracts
are selected:
over six million pieces Of mail mat
ter are sent annually to the dead letter
ollice by reason Of incorrect, illegible or
deficient address, insufficient postage,
insecure enclosing, whereby mailed
matter becomes separated from the en-
Velope or wrapper, or the failure to be
called for or delivered to the person ad-
dressed. This is II daily average Of
over twenty Thousand pieces.
Or these the greater portion either
are not called for at the Dostollicc to
which they arc directed, CT, in case Of
Tree delivery 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.
"hich cannot be delivered to the per
son addressed, is required to be opened
IN It's treatment for the purpose of re.
turn to the sender, and IT the name and
address OF The sender he not Shown or
cannot be asccrtained from ihe con-
tents, and it contains 10 valuable ell
closAre, it must be destroyed.
Letters opened and found 20 contain
any enclosure Of obvious value arc en-
teled upon proper records, and, of such,
those who do not disclose sufficient in
formation to enable them 70 be RETURN
Ell are filed, subject to reclamation
upon proper application and idcntilica-
ton.
Letters which contain no enclosure
ot'oDvious value are not recorded,
Packages and parcels are recorded,
and where they do not disclose the
name and address Of the owner are filed:
II not called for or claimed within two
years they arc disposed Of at public
auction and the proceeds covered into
the United States treasury.
CAUSES OF FAILURE TO DE!IYER.
a large proportion of the packages
and parcels sent to the dead letter office
tall to be restored to the owners be-
cause or the absence on the N,raDDrrS
or enclosures OF anything to indicate
ownership thereof.
Misdircction, incorrect, iiiegiblc and
deficient address are given rs lradinc
causes winch occasion the failure OF
mall matter to reach its proper destina.
tlon, and affect alike that whic, is
aooresSed TO either city, town or vii
lage.
In addition to these, In the case of
matter mailed to cities or free delivery
Offices, are the failure to give street or
number, business OF occupation, or
some designated place of delivery OF
the person addressed; inability to find
transient people, and their neglect to
give forwarding orders for their mail;
the neglect of permanent or temporary
residents to notify the carriers or post
Office of change of place for the delivery
OF their mail matter npon moving
from one part of the city to the other.
together with the failure of newcomers
to furnish the pOstollicc with their
names and places Of address. 1t is to
these canScs. with others OF more or
less consequence, that the non-dcliverv
of mail matter is in the main, attribll-
table, and they are conditions over
which the postal service has no control,
and may alone be remedied by the peo-
pie themselves.
The following suggestions, If OBJ
served, Will aid the dispatch and dc
livery Of mail matter through the
il c g.,
der in the event Of nOn-,lrliYprV, and
thus prevent the annoyancr, delay aud
embarrassment caused 10y sending mat
ter to the dead letter Office.
TIE DIRECTION OF LETTERS
Mail matter should be plainly and
correctly addressed. the name of the
postoflicc to which it is TO be seat
should be clearly and distinctly stated,
and to avoid confusion from the simj,
larly Of Authorizations, as frequently
used, the name of the state should also
he given in full. In the case Of mail
addressed to small Offices, Or where
there arc Offices in like names in differ
ent States, The name Of the county
should be added.
Where mail matter il addressed &c
cities or free delivery Offices the street
ana house number, or poStoilicD boz
number Of the person addressed arc
important, aud should always be given
when it is possible to do So
Where This cannot be done. the Duni
ness or employment Of the person al
dressed, if stated, will often secure de-
livery.
a small proportion only of the mai
received at the free delivery Offices i.
called for at the general delivery Of the
PosC0il!ce, The public expecting delivery
ny the letter curriers'; and hence th,
Importance Of giving street and puin
per, or some other designation whcrcb,
the person addressed may be found.
80 Lstters L.. addressed to persons tempo
isttnSy i%niiy so!ourh1ng In Il city where IT,;
leICeT carrier system is in cperatior
should be marked transient" or "Gnm
etal ot delivery" il not addressed to t
ic screet ana number, or somo other dcs
ignated place of delivery. -. w.
me name and address of the sender
either printed or written, should b,
placed upon the upper left-hand corne,
nnVp1nnn n ~ -