The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-01-17
FACTS ABOUT TIE MAILS.
AN INTERESTING CHAT WITH
POSTMASTER RUSSELL.

How Registered Letters and Money
Orders are Seattle Liability OF the
Government-Howt tn. Rate OF Postage
Has Been Reduced.
"Do you know" said Postmaster Russell
yesterday, shat twenty thousand letters
are received caily at the Dead Letter Office
in Washington. and fully fifteen thousand
OF them are sent there because the writers
of them fail to put the street and number
This remark was made in answer 10 the
question as TO whether or not all circulars
arc delivered when they are addressed sim
ply, for instance, "John smith. civ"
Mr.. Russell. continuing. said: can first
class matter. such as letters and written
postal cards. are delivered II there Is the
slightest possible chance OF doing SO, but in
some instances we fail even with that class
OF matter. II letter comes q am now
speaking Of those addressed ouly city, or
Richmond. Na.i.) and we do not know the
name, the first search "a made in the d.
rectory. II IL can't be delivered in that
way, and none Of the carriers know the
person, our only course is in the general
delivery. II II is not delivered then, IL goes
10 the dead letter Office.
sYou can well see what difficulties we
labor under when letter for instance il
addressed Miss Mary Jones' In the first
place there are very few Of women's names
In the directory, and sometimes there are a
dozen Mary Joneses.
VERY TROUBLESOME.
sBut from the circulars and printed pos
tai cards we derive the most trouble. These
articles don't really come under the head OF
frst-class matter. and II is not the object or
desire OF the Department To perform work
that should be done by people who mail
such maitcr-Or in other words we cannot
employ men to search directories and other
means Of information 10 put streets and
numbers on such matter. OF course, II the
man or woman Is known, the postal or cir
cular will be delivered, but If a circular
comes for John Anderson and William
Jones, you can readily see what job II j.
10 get the circular to the right party,
alt is not the object Of the pOstniiee POO
people 20 delay any piece OF mail matter
moment. Every effort is made to deliver
even circular, and think the system used
90 find the addresses OF people IL about as
perfect as il can be--unless some one makes
a directory with every name IN it-men, wo-
men and children. But these few instances
show you how important IL Is for people 10
put on their letters the street and number.
W q 10 III DbNNlhAt W ihiIA'o' tHt- h'N'
every one, but many people and firms still
persist in the practice, and the consequence
is that the circular and printed postal goes
70 the general delivery, and often makes
final landing in the Dead-Letter Office"
MONEY ORDERS
sis the Government responsible for money
orders and registered lettersW
eyes. I'm the case Of money orders du-
plicate will be issued il the one issued is
lost For instance, If YOU send money or
der 10 William Brown. Baltimore. Md, and
n few days later a letter comes from HIM
saying be has not received the money.
fraser is Immediately sent out if0m Inc
Office. II the tracer and other means do not
find the letter with the money order in H.
the Departmental once issues an order Tor
a duplicate, and the original one is can
celled.
Even more care is taken with registered
letters. For instance. If a letter is sent you
from New York. as soon as it gets into the
New York pOstoffce IL is put IL a large en-
yelope, which has about half-dOzen little
flaps to IL. These are pasted down and
stamped, aud a way bill with the number Of
the large envelope is made out. When the
letter reaches Washington il j. transferred,
and the railway agent who receives II gives
a receipt for IL. When il reaches Richmond
the superintendent Of registered matter
gives another receipt for il, and when the
carrier receives il, hereceipts for 1t. Then
when 1t is delivered another receipt Is
made.
ALWAYS TRACEABLE.
"You can thus see that a registered letter
IL IL ever leaves an Office can always be
traced. OF course. il the carrier who takes
IL out the box does not turn il in, then the
letter is lost, but 1t is seldom That registered
letters are dropped in the street boxes, ana
90 make away with "A letter IN pOstOiilce rs
not as easy process as one would imagine.
Now, 10 open the outer envelope, and ihe
oae that has been registered, is a task that
only an extraordinary expert can do. All
OF these flaps have got to be broken, and
then the inner letter opened. So YOU can
understand that 81 much nice work is apt
90 discourage man who is constantly sur
rounded by other people, even If he be IN "A
railway car.
"These precautions are taken. and be-
sides there are seyenty-iiVe Government
agents who do nothing else but look after
letters. Why, the Department often spends
$500 20 $500 looking for a registered letter
that may not contain $50, but II Is the rarest
thing imaginable, ii one OF the agents don't
fix the blame on somebody. SO you see the
Government is really not responsible as re-
CARDS registered letters. but the employees
are, and in that way il makes the service
safer than IL the Government was directly
responsible.
THE GREATEST TROUBLE.
"Tbe greatest trouble with registered let
tiers is that people say they put so much
money In letter when they do not. We
had case the other day like that. Some
western man owed a Richmond firm hun
dred dollars. He writes letter saying, |
"enclosed find hundred dollars" &c, bat
he only put eighty dollars in the letter. The
Richmond firm complains 10 me. and
show him the outer env Hope, perfect eX-
cept where the end has been cut by The
/ then wrote the western |
man, and he acknowledges that there was
only eighty dollars, a twenty dollar bill
having been found In the cash-drdWer allef
the letter was sent Some really practice
this scheme 10 try and deiraud the Govern
ment, but II Is mostly done so rs TO save
time in paying money,
"Here's an interesting bit Of news. Do
you know that postage stamps were first
used In England In 1919, and IN the United
States in 1877! In l.y2 the rate of postage
ON each letter was from six 10 twenty-five
cents, according 20 distance. Ia l'v9 the
price was raised TO eight 10 twenty-five
cents, with the same provision as To dis
lance. In 1916 IL was lowered TO the price
hat was commenced in 1902. In 1910, under
three hundred miles, i've cents; over 'hfee
hundred, ten cents. In 1891, under thee
thousand miles, three cents; not prepaid,
i've cents. In 1868 the stamps were re-
iuced 10 three cents, and in 1883 to two
cents; and now we are ciamOring for one
cent postage, and Ne will get 1t, too" SAID
Mr.. Russell.