Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-26
UNPAID MONEY ORDERS.
Millions of Dollars in the Subtressury
Waiting for the Owners.


Waiting for the Owners.
In the subtreasury in New York city
there is on deposit today more than S, O00,-
0oo representing outstanding money orders,
and OF this amount more than s.. Oo0, 600
represent money orders which are over
due, and which may never be presented for
payment.
1t seems strange, under the precaution-
airy system now used by the postoffice de-
partment, that such an enormous amount
of money should have accumulated to the
credit of unpaid money orders, but the
chief accumulation was under the original
rules Of the Office, which were much more
conservative than those now in force
II a at Columbus sent a money order to
b in Cincinnati twenty-five years ago, and
b did not present that order for payment.
the postmaster at Cincinnati might meet
b three times a day for a year, and under
the regulations of the postoflice depart
ment he could not tell him that the money
was awaiting his order. The postmaster
at Columbus could not notify A that the
money remained unclaimed. So if the
the order had gone astray probably B won
dered why A did rot send that money to
him; and A puzzled over the fact that p
did not acknowledge the recon. e 81. i.i..
unless they came together and had an I'M
derstandiug, the money was never claimed,
and it lies in the subtreasury today await
ing an order from A or B.
But if 4 sent a money order to b today
and the order was not presented for pay
ment the postmaster at Cincinnati exam
lining the letters of advice received from
other offices at the end Of month, and
finding this money order to have been IN
yagi Of l.a L -F . ha Il
would notify that there was a money
order in his favor on file in the Office, sent
to him by A from Columbus If at the
end of another month the money order was
still unpaid he would notify him again
And if at the end OF third month the
money had not been claimed, he would ad
wise the postmaster at Columbus, who
would notify \ that his money order in
favor Of b had not been presented at the
postotiice in Cincinnati, and ask him TO
urge 3 to have it cashed. IL would seem
that these precautions ought TO insure the
payment Of money orders within reason
able time, yet every year hundreds of them
remain unpaid until they are invalid.
The superintendent of the money order
Office seldom receives any explanation OF
the delay in cashing a money order. All
duplicates are issued from his Office, but
there is regular form Of application for
duplicates kept on file in all money order
offices, and all that the superintendent re
ceives usually IS an application made out
on one of these blanks. Occasionally the
postmaster forwarding the application
sends a letter telling the circumstances of
the delay in having the order cashed, and
sometimes the applicant for a duplicate
sends "a letter to DIR. Macdonald. the super
Intcnaent, giving an explanation of the
case.
such an explanation came four years ago
from the executor of a German bishop in
the interior Of Pennsylvania He sent in
bundle Of money orders which were
found in the bishops desk. He said that
there was a bishops fund, to which the
congregation in the diocese contributed
, and many Of the remittances were sent by
money orders. These money orders the
bishop put into one of the pigeonholes of
his desk, and they accumulated there IN
paid until his death. Many old money or
ders come from executors Of estates. Some
are held awaiting the settlement Of law
suits.
DIR. Macdonald received quite a collec-
ton OF old money orders for duplication
recently from a newspaper publisher
named Woodrow, living in South Caro-
hands of a receiver, and all Of the money
orders that came in his mail were held nv
the receiver as cash. When Woodrow
came to his own again, he found an assort-
ment Of invalid money orders, which he
sent to DIR. Macdonald for duplication.
The money order Office has been running
as postal savings institution for many
years. Men who 90 from the east to make
their fortunes in the new west frequently
buy with their savings money orders, pay
able to themselves at New York, PhiIadel-
phia or sop'e other eastern city. They
know thar the money is secure, because
the mouey order cannot be cashed fv any
one else IL 1t j. lost or stolen, and because
the money can always be had on applica-
ton for q duplicate by the original pur-
chaser. There IS 10 savings bank more Sc
'u.e.-W Washington Post.