The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-26
SIX MILLIONS.
Misdirected Waits at the Dead
Letter Office.
BOW ard Why Communications and Articles
Of Value Go Astray Through the
Mails-Rsmedies Suggested.

-Four hundred and ffty-one thousand
misdlrected letters received at the Dead-etter
Office? Whew. What nation of fools We
must be," said a gentleman yesterday. as he
read the statement made by the Dead-letter
Office in its circular issued annually.
AS large as the figures are they are true !;
but they do not argue foolish people so
much as careless people. Over 100000
pieces of mail matter, letters, packages and
papers are sent annually to the Dead-letter
Office on account of incorrect illegible or
deficient address, insufficient postage, in
secure sealing or the failure to arrive at its
proper destination. These figures give a
daily average of over 10000 pieces.
OF these the greater portion are not called
for at the postoffice to which they are
directed, or the address cannot be found.
though every known means is used to effect
the delivery.
MAILED BLANK.
person may be excused, if. absent
mndedly, he miSdrecls letter; but what
can be said of the malers of the q, 600 letters
received entirely blank, having no address
whatever? Yet among the latter were fire.
quently found the correspondence Of bust
ness men, Of which large proportion con-
tanned drafts. moneys, checks, etc.
VI the vast number of misdiTected letters,
$4,000 were held for postage" and were to
domestic addresses; 1885, G0 were letters adj
dressed mainly to hotels to guests who had
departed without leaving their addresses;
$4,000 were letters addressed to fictitious
names and places, being principally CORE
spondence relating to what is termed green
goods" or "sawdust swindles; and $4,000
were parcels of merchandise, books, cloth
ing, needlework, jewelry, everything in fact
that is maiaDle.
AS a business proposition, every Ameri-
eau should look twice at letter before he
lets it drop into the slot of the mail box.
That would obviate every possibility of any
mail being misdirected and would save
thousands of dollars during year. During
the last fiscal year IS 600 Of the niSdlrected
waits contained money amounting to S4S,-
642, and 1000 more contained small PoStOf-
1ce orders. aggregatng little over $780,
Twenly-seyen THOUSAND of them contained
drafts, checks, notes and commercial paper
in the sum of S1,411,S71.
THOUSANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS.
Nearly $1,000 photographs and 1000 pro-
hIblted articles were received from this pro-
life source while 162, 600 contained postage
stamps. Over 100000 of the letters re-
ceived at the Dead-letter Office contained
no inclosure of obvious value, although
doubtless many of them are quite as valu-
able to the sender and addreSSee as those
containing checks and money. Yet of this
immense number over 3,000, coo contained no
sufficient address of the sender.
Mlsdirec,ion, incorrect, illegible and def
cient address ale given as the leading causes
of the failure OF mail matter 10 reach its
proper destination. In addition to these the
inability to reach transient people and their
neglect to give forwarding orders add to the
already overwhelming number. The Amer
leans are globe trotters, but they forget that
without proper directions their mail caunot
become so too.
DIRECTIONS TO FOLLOW.
Mail matter should be plainly, studiously
and correctly directed. The name should be
plain, but net too prominent the name OF
the city or town larger, and the State, if at a
distance, should be written out in full in the
boldest script, and If a pen and different col
ored ink be at hand a line might be drawn
under the name of the State and city. But
that is not necessary SO long as one writes
plainly and is sure of the stamp being on
solid.
When it can be done, the business or en-
plOyment of the addressee will often secure
delivery. This is especially applicable to
cities and grow ing towns where the popula-
ton IS transient and progressive. Letters
to persons temporarily sojOuning in city
where the letIer-carrier system is in opera
ton should be market transient" or
General Delivery" when no other address
is given.
SHOULD BE PLAIN
The name and address oil the sender,
either printed or written. should be placed
upon the upper left-hand corner of the en-
velope or wrapper Of all matter mailed.
This will secure its return within reason
able period 10 the sender in case the postage
is fully paid.
d. =. Leibhardt, Superintendent of the
Dead-letter Office, lays pa tlcular stress in
his circular on the need OF each and every
sender of mail matter attending to the
proper addressing 10 secure delivery. de
believes, evidently, in striking the evil at its
roots,