Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-31
TO PREVENT ERRORS.
Some Suggestions Relative to Com
plants in Mail Service.
Augusta Officials Desire Best Service in the
County Common Errors.

| In another column of this paper
will be found an item referring to an
order on the forwarding Of United
States military mail, which calls atten-
ton to fact we'll known by all post
office officials, of the great care that is
taken for the delivery of mail properly.
Very few people have any idea of the
system which is used in every large
office and the Dead Letter office for
the forwarding of mail Quantities of
mail are received at the Augusta post
office intended for Augusta, Georgia,
which are forwarded with a routine
slip to the postmaster at Augusta,
Georgia, and when delivered proper en-
| dorsement is made and the slip re-
| turned. Not only does this occur
| where there is similarity of names,
| but in hundreds of cases the letters,
plainly directed to Augusta, Maine, are
sent under cover with this slip to other
| offices TO see if they can be delivered
| is returned TO Augusta for new trial
or for final sending to the Dead Letter
office.
At Augusta so many papers are pub
lished and so many advertisements ap-
pear in them. that a very large guam
tity of mail is received every week in
| tended for persons advertising from
other cities, but where from associa-
ton of ideas, Augusta, Maine is placed
instead Of the correct city address. 1t
is necessary therefore for the clerks in
the delivery section Of the Augusta Of
flee to have knowledge of several hun
dred advertising firms in different
parts of the country that this mail
may be promptly sent to them. BY far
the greater number of errors in the
delivery of mail are caused by mis-
| takes in the address often placed Their
| on by the force of habit in writing, and
many letters are daily sent for in
stance. from the Boston office where
they are directed Augusta. Mass. These
| are specially treated by the Boston Of
fee and generally belong in this city.
| In every post office of any size. there
| is book containing the avenues,
streets and lanes in all the larger cities
and those having street delivery in the
| whole United States. giving the high
est number appearing on that street,
which is published TO aid the forward
| ing of letters misdirected. 1t will be
seen by this that the greatest care is
used. and everything is done to get
mail to its proper destination promptly
even if it be misdirected by the writer.
There are certain rules giving officials
latitude where they are certain that
the address is wrong, and under which
they may supply the deficiency, so that
there is always a certain latitude on
an obvious error.
Having shown. this side of the ques-
ton. there is another to be spoken Of
and that is the mistakes which occur in
the delivery OF mail through the care
lessness of the officials themselves.
While the number of mistakes, con-
siderng the immense amount Of mail
handled, is phenomenally small especi-
ally at the Augusta office, still mis-
takes do continually creep in. and Of
tal- ,x-hi n tho tCi6pr
appear entirely uncalled for and make
bad impression.
The person noticing one of these mis-
takes feels hesitation in making a
complaint Of it, and does not like to
give the proper information. not being
wished as is generally said to be
kicker The only way that these
mistakes are known is when the COM
plant is made and it is not considered
in the light of a complaint at all. but
as an assistance to locate any trouble
that may exist and prevent other err
rors of a similar character. OF course
anything that is missent is an error
and mistake, and any clerk commit
ting such an error wants to know Of 1t
and to be told of it. 1t is not looked
on in any sense as complaint or criti-
cism, but simply as a help to the men
that will bring about a great deal bet
ter service.
If any person receiving letters which
are apparently unnecessarily late in
delivery, such as seem to be day or
two late, or where there is a INSIDE
livery from the address given, or in
fact, any similar irregularity, would
send letter directed to the Post
master, Augusta, Maine, with a brief
statement of what the irregularity is