The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-10-15
DEAD LETTER OFFICE.
THE QUESTION WHATS THE MAT
TER WITH THE MAIL" ANSWERED.

TER WITH THE MAIL" ANSWERED.
Would Save !. Great Deal of Trouble to
Letter Writers, their Correspondents
and Postal Officials.
The dead letter Office of the postofice
department at Washington, D. c., has
sent out circular for public informa-
ton, from which the following extracts
are selected:
Over, six million pieces Of mail mat
ter are sent annually to the dead letter
Office 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 he
called for or delivered to the person ad-
dressed. This is a daily average Of
over twenty thousand pieces.
OF these the greater portion either
are not called for at the postotlice to
which they are directed, or, in case OF
free 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 tc the dead letter Office,
which cannot be delivered to the per-
son addressed, is required to be opened
in its treatment for the purpose of re.
turn to the sender, and If the name and
address of the sender be not shown or
cannot be ascertained from the con-
tents, and it contains no valuable en-
closure, it must be destroyed.
Letters opened and found to contain
any enclosure of obvious value are en-
tered upon proper records, and, of such,
those who do not disclose sufficient in
formation to enable them to be return
ed are filed, subject to reclamation
upon proper application and Identified
tion.
Letters which contain no enclosure
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;
il not called for or claimed within two
years they are disposed OF at public
auction and the proceeds covered into
the United States treasury.
CAUSES OF FAILURE TO DELIVER.
A large proportion Of the packages
and parcels sent to the dead letter office
fail to be restored to the owners be-
cause Of the absence on the wrappers
or enclosures of anything to Indicate
ownership thereof.
Misdfrection, incorrect, illegible and
deficient address are given as leading
causes which occasion the failure of
mail matter to reach its proper destina-
ton, and affect alike that which is
addressed 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 or 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
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 postofice 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, attribG-
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. II OBJ
served, will aid the dispatch and de-
! livery OF mail matter through the
mails, or its return directly to the SEN
der in the event Of non-delivery, and
thus prevent the annoyance, delay and
embarrassment caused by sending mat
ter to the dead letter office.
THE DIRECTION OF LETTERS.
Mail matter should be plainly and
correctly addressed, the name Of the
postofice to which it is to be sent
should be clearly and distinctly stated,
and to avoid confusion from the SINH
lartly of abbreviationS, as frequently
nsed, the name of the State should also
he given in full. In the case of mail
addressed to small Offices, or where
there are offices in like names In differ
ent States, the name Of the county
should be added.
Where mail matter is addressed to
cities or free delivery offices the street
ana house number, or postollice box
,rmbcr OF the person addressed are
important. ,.rd should always hc given
when it is = ,sSible To do so.
! Where this caui:ot he done. the h.lSi
l,rss or emp! !oynent Of the person "d-
crossed, if 81 ated, will often secure de-
livery.
:, small proportion only OF the mail
/ ecelve,: 1T the fre,. delivery offices is
called for ~ the general delivery nl the
postoflice. the public expecting delivery
! by the lei ter-carr!ers: and hence the
| Importance cf giving street and mum
Der, or SOM other designation whereby
the person addressed may be found.
Letters addressed to persons tempo
rarily sojourning IN Il city where the
letter carrier system is in operation
should be marked transient" or Gen
eral delivery" il not addressed to a
street and number. or some other des-
ignated place of delivery.
The name and address of the sender,
either printed OF written, should be
placed upon the upper left-hand corner