San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-09-27
Unpaid Money Orders.

unpaid money oIdefs.
Washington Post.
In the Sub-Treasury In New York
City there is on de posit to-day more
than So 900, 900 representing outstand-
ing money orders, and of this amount
more than $1,000, 900 represents mon
ey orders which are overdue, and
which may never be presented for
payment.
1t seems strange, under the precau-
tionary system now used by the Post
office Department, that such an enor-
NOUS amount of money should have
accumulated to the credit OF unpaid
money orders, but the chief accumu-
lation was under the originalrules of
the Office which were much more con-
servative than those now in force. If
A at Columbu sent money order to
B In Chicago twenty.fi five years ago.
and Il did not present the order for
payment, the Postmaster at Cincin-
natl might meet B three times day
for a year, and under the regulations
of the Post Office Department he
could not tell him that the money was
awaiting his order. The Postmaster
at Colum bus could not notify A that
the money remained unclaimed. So
IL the order had gone astray probably
B wondered why A did not send him
that money; and A puzzled over the
fact that B did not acknowledge the
receipt of 1t, and unless they came to-
gether and had an understanding the
money was never claimed, and 1t lies
in the Sub-Treasury to-day awaiting
the order from A or B.
But il A sent money order to b to-
day, and the order was not presented
tor payment, the Postmaster at Gin
cinnati examining the letters of ad-
vice received from other offices at the
end of q month, and finding this mon.
ey order to have been unpaid al the
end of the previous month, would no.
THY b that there was q money order
in his favor on file in the office, sent
to him from Columbus. Ifat the end
of another month the money order
was still unpaid, he would notify HIM
again. And II at the end of the third
month the money had not been claim
ed, he would advise the Postmaster
at mbus, who would notify A
that his money order In favor of B had
not been presented at the Post Office
In Cincinnati, and ask him to urge B
these precautions ought to insure the
payment of money orders within q
reasonable time, yet every year hun
dreds Of them remain unpaid until
they are invalid.
The Superintendent OF the money
order office seldom receives any ex-
PLANTATION of the delay in cashiDg
money order; all duplicates are issued
from bis office, but there is regular
form of application for duplicates kept
on file in all money order offices, and
all that the Superintendent receives
usually is an application made out on
one of these blanks. Occasionally the
Postmaster forwarding the applica-
ton sends letter telling the circum
stances of the delay in having the or
der cashed, and sometimes the appli.
can't for n duplicate sends letter to
DR.. Macdonald, he superintendent,
giving al explanation of the case.
Such an explanation came four years
ago from the executor of q German
bishop in thein terror, of, Pennsylvania
He sent a bundle of money orders
which were found in the Bishops |
desk. He said that there wss..a Bishop |
fund, to which the congregations in |
the diocese contributed, and many of |
the remittances were sent by money |
orders. These money orders the Bish
op put into one of the pigeon-hOles OF |
his desk. and they accumulated there |
unpaid until his death. Many old |
money orders come from executors of |
estates. some are held awaiting the |
settlement of law snits. DR.. Macdon-
aid received quite collection of old
money orders for duplication recent
lv from a newspaper publisher named
Woodrow, living in South Carolina.
His business had gone III to the hands
of Receiver, and all the money or
ders that came in his mail were held
by the Receiver as cash. When Wood
row came to his own again, he found
an assortment of invalid money or
ders, which he sent to DR.. Macdonald
for duplication.
The money order office has been
running as a postal savings institu-
ton for many years. Men who go from
the East to make their fortunes IN
the new West frequently buy with
their savings money orders, payable
to themselves at New York, Philadel-
phia or some other Eastern city. They
know that the money is secure, be-
cause the money order can not be
cashed by any one else If it is lost or
stolen, and because the money can al
ways be had on application for q du-
plicate by the original purchaser,
T., haY b