The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-06-21
Their Number Decreasing In Late Years
and More Returned to senders-A sys-
tenn That Records Everything without
Regard to Value.

them it would DO impossible to answer the
many inquiries for missing mail or to To-
cate any article which the office has re-
ceived. Uncle Sans business methods are
often criticised as intricate and laborious,
but tho necessity of "A system of records of
this kind cannot be doubted
About ! 3 per cent of the Z, 900, 900 pieces
received yearly contain yaluables. An ao-
curate record of each article is made, Civ
ing its address and disposition. Six sets Of
books are used for this purpose, one for
money, one for papers which have a mon
ey value, as notes and mortgages; one for
other valuable papers, such as receipts and
certificates; one for stamps, one for photo
graphs, and one for property and miscella.
neous articles received in packages
These are all returned to the sender II
the address is given. NIf there is no ad-
dress, but a legible postmark they are
sent to the postmaster at the mailing office
for delivery to the sender. If there is no
address and no postmark, or If the post
master fails to deliver the article and re-
turns it to the department, it Is fled
In the case of property the articles filed
are kept two years and then sold at public
auction, excepting such books as are Sc
lected for the department library. Several
hundred books are added each year to the
library, which is for the use of the officials
and clerks exclusively. They comprise
largely works of fiction and poetry intend
ed for gifts.
The money which cannot be returned to
the owner is kept for three months and
then deposited in the United States treas.
ury. 1t may be reclaimed within four
years. In these books cent receives as
much attention as $50, receipt being
signed by each clerk through whose hands
it passes. No red tape is spared on account
of small valuables received. Every time
the department issues fraud oruer against
any swindling concern that concern Is not
allowed to receive its mail. Its letters are
stamped Fraudulent and sent to the
dead letter office. Thousands of dollars
yearly are thus saved by the department
and restored to the people in money and
stamps alone. The stamps which cannot
be delivered are destroyed each month.
The photographs and valuable papers
which had been kept on file were allowed
to accumulate until the summer of 1898,
when the oldest files were destroyed, ex-
cepting only such papers as marriage GER
tifcates, wills and others Of exceptional
value. At present only those photographs
and papers filed within the last three years
are kept intact The rest are destroyed.
Thus Uncle Sam, with Yankee practi-
cality, utilities everything that comes in
his way. He realizes neat little sum each
year from the auction sale of packages,
from the deposit of lost money and also
from the destroyed matter sold as waste
paper.
In addition to these records is a book
which gives the postal history of lost man
uscripts, which number about /, 200 yearly.
There is also record of inquiries for
missing mail and a record of registered
matter The registered articles received
are not distributed among the six desks
named, but separate record is kept of
them, so that these are the largest of the
record books, and the articles kept on file
here are miscellaneous in character
Every month the periodicals which have
gone astray in the mails and reached the
dead letter office are distributed among
the charitable institutions of the district.
They are the department missionaries that
cheer the sick and bless the lonely.
1t is expected that the order to postmas-
tiers in regard to the palmer stamping OF
letters will facilitate the work of this office
to a large degree. Postmasters are now
ordered to stamp each letter distinctly with
the name of the mailing office. 1t some
times requires half dozen clerks with
magnifying lens and every facility for
"blind reading" to decipher single post
mark. This kind of stamping is usually
done in tho smaller offices. The letters
from large cities almost always have
legibo postmark. When this ruling is
enforced the percentage of matter returned
will be increased.
The amount of matter received at the
dead letter Office has decreased in the last
few years. This is probably due to the
efficiency of the Don't" circulars, which
are sent to all postmasters for the dissem-
ination of rules of precaution to be OBJ
served by patrons of the mails
This office might be called the head.
quarters of Santa Claus. At any rate, IL
is where his mail is received. Every au-
tumn his letters come In by hundreds, ana
later by thousands. There is every variety
of spelling and childish chirography.
There is also a variety of places assigned
as his abiding place, such as the north
pole, fairyland and other places not with
in reach of the postal service
But the little folks are not the only ones
who send indefinitely addressed letters.
Two examples will serve to show the rare
discriminating powers assigned TO the
postal employee by the public mind.
"Please deliver to physician who is
native of either Nova Scotia, New Bruins
wick or Prince Edward Island"
Evidently the area involved was too
wide, and the authorities gave up the
search.
Forward or give to widow, age 32 or
over, with dark brown hair and eyes,
height, feet inches; name unknown"
At glance this would seem an easier
task. To find a widow is simple enough.
To find one with dark hair and eyes would
DO more specific task, but still not OBJ
jectionable perhaps. But making 1t plain
or by using the age limit put things In a
different light. 1t was too delicate task
for a postman. He was human and loved
life. He gave up the job.-Washington