The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-10-07
An Interesting Chapter of Sug-
gestiOns Furnished by the
Superintendent of the
Dead Letter Office.
Practical Information which
Should be Carefully Read
by Every One-BuSinesS
Men Should cut This
out and Paste il.

Postmaster Demuth has received
from the post office department cir
cular letter, issued by the Dead Let
ter office, which contains so much
valuable information that We reprint
the most important features for the
benefit of the BAzoo readers. No one
who uses the mails can afford to miss
a careful perusal. The suggestions
are practical, and the letter explains
how the Dead Letter department be-
comes everburdened with miscarried
letters.
Over six million pieces of mail mat
ter are sent annually to the Dead
Letter office by reason of incorrect,
illegible, or deficient address. insult
fcient postage, insecure in closing,
whereby matter mailed becomes sepa-
rated from envelop or wrapper, or
the failure to be called for or deliver
ed to the person addressed. This is
a daily average of over twenty thous-
and pieces.
Of these the greater portion either
are not called for at the post office to
which they were directed, or, in case
of free-deliv.rv offices, the addresses
cannot he 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. which connot be delivered to
the person addressed, is required to be
opened in its treatment for the pur-
pose of return to sender, and if the
name and address of the sender be
not shown or cannot be ascertalned
from the contents, and it contains no
valuable inclo>ure; it must be de-
stroyed.
Letters opened and found 10 con.
tain any inclosure of obvious value
are entered upon proper records, and,
of such, those which do not disclose
sufficient information to enable them
to be returned are fed, subject to
reclamation upon proper application
and identification. Letters which
contain no Enclosure Of obvious value
are not recorded.
Packages and parce's are recorded,
and where they do not disclose the
name and address of the owner are
fled; if not called for or claimed with.
in two years they are disposed of al
public auction and the proceeds GOV,
cred into the L. 5. 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 Enclosure of anything to indicate
ownership thereof.
Misdirec,ion, incorrect, lliegible
and deficient addresses are given as
leading causes which occasion the fail
ure of mail matter to reach its prop
er destination, and effect alike that
which is so addressed to either city,
town or village.
In addition to these, in the case Of
matter mailed to cities or free delivery
offices, are the failures to give street
or number, business or occupation, oil
some designated place of delivery
of the person addressed; inability t.
find transient people, and their neg
Iect TO giye forwarding orders for lhei
mail the neglect of permanent OF
temporary residents to notify the car
riers or post office of change of place
for the delivery of their mail matte
upon moving from one part OF tn
CITY to an other, together with tn
failure of newcomers to furnish tn
most office with their names and plaC
Is of address. 1t is 20 these causes
with others of more or less conse
ouence, that the non-Gelivery of ma
matter is, in the main, attributable
and they are conditions over whic
the postal service has no control, an
NAV alone be remedied by the peopl
themselves.
The following suggestions, if oil
served, will aid the dispatch and d
livery of matter sent through IL
mails or its return directly to IL
sender in the event of non-deliver,
and embarrassment caused by sem
;ng matter to the Dead Letter office
Mail matter should be plainly al
correctly addressed, the name Of Il
nost Office to which it is sent shou
he clearly and distinctly stated, al
- avoid confusion from the similari
Of abbreyiaiions, as frequently use
the name of the state should be give