Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-06-03
About Postal Matters-No. 5.

W l.. "A. Outt piiiou " w., MI w duACO,
or Lord & Taylor, New York City," or
Marshall Field & Co., Chicago" will
reach it's destination all right; but as a
rule mail should be addressed not only
legibly, but completely, giving the
name of the postoffice, and, if to a city
having free delivery, the street and
number. The name of the county and
state should also be given. 1t is better
that the name of the state be written
in full, but if people will abbreviate,
they should do so plainly, thereby
avoiding the errors which arise from
such authorizations as Col, Cal, Ia, Pa,
Va, Vt, n. NJ, n. Y, n. H., N. j., N.
c., D. c., Mass, Miss, Wis, Mimi,
etc., when carelessly written.
Let me illustrate the necessity of put
ting on the county. Mail reaches this
office for Pennington, Wis, that Office
being supplied by this. That gives US
no trouble. But we receive mail, also,
for Pennington, Washington county;
Pennington, Polk county; Pennington,
La Crosse county, and Pennington,
Waupaca county. There is a town
named Pennington in each of the coun-
ties mentioned, but no such postofices,
and we change the address to Fillmore,
Pennington Center, Mindora or Wau
paca, as the case may be. This def
cheney in address could not be supplied
if we had not the necessary clue fur
nished by the name of the county
showing where the letter belonged.
Twenty years ago there was a post
Office named Emmett, in Dodge county.
It was discontinued and it's mail or
dered here. We receive mail yet adj
dressed to Emmett, also for Emet, Wis.
The latter is an office in Chippewa
county, SO that when we receive any
mail for Emmett, Chippewa county, the
address can be corrected, which would
have been impossible had the county
been omitted. We receive mail daily
or Watertown, CoddingtOn county,
ty, Wis, and are enabled to forward
the same to its proper destination in
Minnesota, South Dakota or Massachu
sets because the county is named. But
for this, such mail (if it did not bear
the name of the sender) would in due
time be advertised, sent to the Dead
Letter office, and after much delay
(perhaps never reach the party in
tended. These are not suppositious
cases. They are part of our every
day official life and show how impor-
tant it is to have mail matter plainly
and fully addressed.
The postmaster general, in his last
annual report, gives it as his opinion,
after a careful investigation, that "the
miscarriage and non-recelpt Of such
letters and parcels as reach the Dead
Letter office are due in the main to
carelessness and omissions on the part
of the public" However, not one per-
son in ten thousand will admit that he
ever makes a mistake with his mail
When complaining that letter mailed
by him has been lost he will solemnly
aver and is generally ready to swear
that the letter was correctly addressed,
properly stamped. and all the require
ments on his part complied with. When
his letter comes back to him in course
of time addressed to Philadelphia, Pa,
instead of Pittsburg, Pa, as be intend
ed, or with the endorsement mo such
office in state named" or "No such
street and number" when addressed
to corner Broadway and Mason street,
Chicago, when Milwaukee was intend
ed) he sees how easy it is to be mi .
taken, and how many failures and ir-
T0Su1dTllIGS are CUdTSou W Guo pOSldl
system for which it is not responsible.
Mail addressed to fictitious persons
or firms, to initials, or to no particular
person or firm. cannot be delivered.
unless it is addressed to designated
place, as postoffice box, or to the care
of a veritable person or firm. Unless
so addressed it must be sent to the
Dead Letter office.
The words personal" and "person-
ally" written on letters are confusing
to some persons and by many are sup
posed to mean the same thing. This is
an error. A letter marked personal
is delivered as ordinary mail and means
simply that it concerns the addressee.
IF marked personally it is delivered
only to the person addressed.
1t is better to use stamped envelopes
whenever it is convenient and practic-
able to do 50, but this cannot always
be done. When stamps are used they
should be securely affixed, and for the
convenience of the mailing clerk
placed on the upper right hand corner
of the letter. They are often careless
ly put on, or moistened too much, per-
haps, so as to destroy their adhesive
ness, and if lost off, mail is delayed.
The sender's name or card on the en-
velope or wrapper restores the mail at
once to him. If there is no such pre-
caution taken by the sender, he may
suffer inconvenience, or perhaps loss.
J. 7. MoAK, P. NJ.