The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1890-10-04
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
DEAD LITTER DEPARTMENT.
WosAinqton. y q Sent I 1se,

are sent annually to the Dead Letter
Office by reason of incorrect, illegible, 0,
deficient address, insufficient postage, in
secure lncioslng, whereby matter mailed
becomes separated from the envelope OF
wrapper, or the failure to be called fol
or delivered to the person addressed.
This is daily average of over twenty
thousand pieces.
vi these the greater portion either are
not called for at the post office to which
they are directed, or, in case Of free de-
livery Offices the address cannot be found,
notwithstanding every known means is
resorted to on the part of the postal of
fcials to effect delivery.
Matter sent to the Dead Letter Office,
which cannot be delivered to the person
i addressed, is required to be opened in its
treatment for the purpose of return to
the sender; and if the name and address
OF the sender be not shown, or cannot be
ascerta1ned from the contents, and it con-
tains no valuable inclosure, it must be
destroyed.
Letters opened and found to contain
any inclosure of obvious value are enter
ed upon proper records, and, Of such,
those which do not disclose sufficient in
formation to enable them to be returned
are filed, subject to reclamation upon
proper application and Identification
Letters which contain no Enclosures of
obvious value are not recorded.
Packages and parcels are recorded,
and where they do not disclose the name
and address of the owner are filed; and
If not called for or claimed within two
years they are disposed of at public
auction, and the proceeds covered into
the United States Treasury.
A large proportion of the packages and
parcels sent to the Dead Letter Office fail
to be restored to the owners, because OF
the absence on the wrappers or Enclosures
OF anything to indicate ownership there
of.
Information as to the character and
nature of the matter thus received at the
Dead Letter Office, and the conditions
and influences which occasion its failure
to reach the persons to whom the senders
designed it to go may be of interest, and
the mere statement of it carry with it
suggestions which may serve the public
in its exercise of postal privileges.
OF the unclaimed and undelivered mail
matter received at the Dean Letter Of
flee during the past fiscal year. four hun
dred and fifty thousand were letters
mlsdlrected, or only partially addressed
that is, not, addressed to a post Office, or
addressed to post office without the
State being given, or addressed to post
office not in the State named, etc.. etc. -
while tWenty-four thousand were entire
ly blank, bearing no address whatever
Among the latter were frequently found
the correspondence of business men, of
which large portion contained inclosur-
es of money, drafts, checks. etc.
Ninety eight thousand were letters to
domestic addresses, held for postage
together with letters, ETC., addressed to
Canada and Mexico, matter to these
countries being unavailable except upon
full prepayment of postage.
One hundred and sixtyfive thousand
were letters mainly addressed to persons
in care Of hotels The guests to whom
the letters belonged having departed
without leaving their address, or forward
ing orders for thar mail, they were re-
turned to the post Office by the hotels,
and thence sent to the Dead Letter Office. |
Forty-two thousand were letters to fic-
titious addresses, and principally cores
pondence relating to what is known as
''green goods" or ''saw dust swindles,"
ETC., many of them containing money
with orders for the purchase of these
fraudulent goods Parties engaged in
these fraudulent and unlawful enterpris
es invariably do SO under an assu med |
name, and when the character and bust
ness of such persons is discovered by the
postal authorities, such matter addressed
to them is declared fictitious" and de-
livery withheld.
Eighty thousand were parcels Of mer-
chandise, books clothing, needle-work,
jewelry, ETC.. many of which were mis- |
directed, willie ~thers were without |
having been insecurely inclos-
ed, and others from which the address
had become separated and lost.
A large proportion were those upon
which the required amount eff postage to |
entitle item to transmission through the |
mails ha, not been prepaid, insufficient
being due to improper inclos- /
ng, whereby higher rate of postage
was required.
Twenty-eight thousand contained mon
ey, amounting in all to S48, ,642 90.
Four thousand had Enclosures of postal ,
notes in small sums under So, aggregat !
ing $500.
Twenty-seven thousand were found to
contain drafts, checks, notes, CONNER
,ial paper, etc., etc., in the sum of .
81, All, ,871 90, while forty eight thousand /
paid and cancelled obligations,
receipts evidencings payments of money,
leeds, mortgages, general miscellaneous
papers, etc.
Forty-two thousand contained photo
graphs, one thousand contained articles
forbidden to be transmitted through the
mails; and eleven thousand upon being
opened were found to contain lottery
tickets, which under the terms of the law
are declared unmailable.
One hundred and sixty-two thousand
contained postage stamps, and were in
closures to secure return answers to the
they accompanied, or
we're the remittances in payment of small
balances, or accompanying orders for
small purchases of merchandise, sub
etc.
Five hundred and thirty-one thousand
were letters. and forty one thousand par
cells Of printed matter. samples, etc. I
which had been mailed in foreign coun-
tries to post Offices within the United /
States and falling of delivery ware cont I