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

would Save II Great Deal of Trouble to
Letter Writors, their Correspondents
and Postal OmcIaIs.
The dead letter Office of the postofllco
department ut Washington, d. c., has
sent out a circular for public informal
tion, 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 bc
called for or delivered to the person adj
dressed. This is a daily average of
over twenty thousand pieces.
OF these the greater portion either
are not called for at the postollicc to
which they are directed, or, in case Of
Tree delivery offices, the addresses cam
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.
which 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 If the name and
address of the sender be not shown or
cannot be ascertained from the con-
tents, and 1T contains no valuable en-
closure, 1T 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 identilica-
ton.
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 tu.n
years they are disposed or at public
auction and the proceeds covered into
the United States treasury.
CAUSES OF FAILURE TO DELIVER.
Il large proportion Of the packaprs
and parcels sent to the dead letter Office
tall to be restored to the owners be-
cause of the absence on the wrappers
or enclosures of anything to indicate
ownership thereof.
MlSdlrectlOn, incorrect, illcgible and
deficient address are given as lcadjur
causes which occasion the failure Of
man matter to reach its proper destina-
tlon, 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, OF
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
ONCE OF change of place for the delivery
or their mail matter npOn moving
from one part of the city to the other,
together with the failure of newcomers
10 furnish the poStOiliee with their
names and places of address. 1t is to
CheSo causes, 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 remedicd by the pe0-
pie themselves.
Inc Following suggestions, If OBJ
served, will aid the dispatch and de-
livery OF mail matter through the
mails, rits return directly to the sen
der IN the event of non-deliverv, and
thus prevent the.annoyancp, DELAY and
embarrassment caused by sending mat
teS to the dead letter office.
TIE DIRECTION OF LETTERS.
Mail matter should be plainly and
correctly addressed, the name Of the
| poStoflice to which it is to be sent
should be clearly and distinctly stated.
and to avoid confusion from the SINH
larlly OF authorizations, as frequently
| used, the name of the State should also
be given III 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
and house number, or pOStolicC box
number of the person addressed are
important, and should always be given
when it is possible to do SO.
Where this cannot he done. the busi-
ness or employment Of the person adj
dressed, II stated, will often Scc%ra de
livery.
A small proportion only Of the mail
received at the free delivery Offices is
called Tor at the general delivery Of the
pOStOtlice, the public xpecting delivery
by the lcttcr-carriGrS; and hence the
Importance of giving street and mum.
Der, or some other designation whereby
the person addressed may be found.
Letters addressed TO persons tempo
rariIy Sojodrning In a city where the
letter carrier system is in operation
should be marked "TranaiGnt" or Gen
eral delivery" if not addressed to a
| street and number, or some other des-