The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-22
UNPAID MONEY ORDERS.


millions OF Dollars in tho Subtreasury
Waiting for tho Owncrs.
In the subtreasury in New York city
there is on deposit today more than S, Co.,
600 representing outstanding money orders,
and of this amount more than 81, 0OO,OO
represent money orders which are over
due, and which may never be presented for
payment. .k,-i
1t seei1s 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 WIS under the original
rules CT the Office. which were much more
conservative than those now in force.
IL a ut Columbus sent q money order to
b In Cincinnati twenty-five years ago. and
b did not present that order for payment,
the postmaster ut Cincinnati might meet
b three times day for a year, and under
the regulations of the postofIice depart
mcnt he could not tell him that the money
was awaiting his order. The postmaster
ut Columbus could not notify A that the
money remained unclaimed So If the
the order had gone astray probably b won
dered why did not send that money to
him; and A puzzled over tho fact that b
did not acknowledge the receipt of it, and
unless they came together and had an I'M
Outstanding, the money was never claimed,
and 1t lies in the subtreasury today await
ing an order from A or B.
But II A sent 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 Mt the end of q month, and
finding this money order to have been un-
paid ut the end of the previous month,
would notify b that there was q money
order in his favor OH 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 ut the end of q third month the
money had not been claimed, he would adj
wise the postmaster ut Columbus, who
would notify A that his money order in
favor of B had not been presented Mt the
postofiice in Cincinnati, and ask him to
urge Is to have it cashed. 1t would seem
that these precautions ought to insure the
payment of money orders within II 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 n 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
OAAA~N- ''Ib diA eittU CllC SupoFlnUenuenC re-
ceivcs usually is an application made out
on one of these blanks. Occasionally the
postmaster forwarding the application
sends n letter telling the circumstances of
the delay Ill having the order cashed, and
sometimes the applicant for duplicate
sends letter TO DR.. Macdonald, the super
intendent, giving an explanation of tho
case.
Such an explanation came four years ngo
from thn of -.
the interior of Pennsylvania He sent in
a bundle OF money orders which were
round In the bishops desk. He said that
there was bishops fund, to which the
congregations in the diocese contributed.
and many OF the remttances were sent bv
money orders. These money orders tho
bishop put into one of the pigeonholes of
his desk, and they accumulated there I'M
paid until his denth- Many old money or
oeEs 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 newspaper publisher
named Woodrow, living in South Caro-
lima. His business had gone into the
hands of n receiver, and all of the money
orders that came in his mail were held by
the receiver as cash. When Woodrow
>AiS " hiS w uSilil, ne lOunQ an assert
ment of invalid money orders, which he
sent to Dr. Macdonald for duplication.
The money order office has been running
as postal savings institution for many
years. Men who go from the east to make
their fortunes in the new west frequently
buy with their savings money orders, pay
able to themselves ut New York, Philadel-
phla or some other eastern city. They
Know that the money is secure, because
the money order cannot be cashed by any
one else II it is lost or stolen. and because
the money can always be had on applica-
ton for duplicate by the original pur-
chaser. There is no savings bank more Sc
'ufc.-W Washington Post