The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-05-24
81, $50 S 46 sl17 ,a8 10 s22,2l6 II slSs, 2i2 IL
APPROPRIATIONS FOR COUNTY
A TEMPTING ACCUMULATION.
What the Government Does With
Unclaimed Money Orders.

What the Government Docs with
Unclaimed Money Orders.
"What becomes of all the money orders
which are never presented for paymentf'
asked a Washington business man Of Q
postal official. Every few days we re-
ceive .etters from our customers saying
that :hey have forwarded orders for
goods, but the orders have never reached
our hands. And this Is true OF every
large mail order house In Washington"
"They disappear In various ways" was
the reply. "Some are burned or torn up
instead Of the receipts, and this Is par
ticularly true Of International money or
ders, where the receipts are Of the same
size of the order, only white in color.
Some are sent in letters which are not ad-
dressed at all or are incorrectly addressed,
and these, together with thousands Of
other orders, find their way to- the dead
letter Office Ultimately most Of these let
tiers find their way back to the remitters,
or duplicates are applied for.
1.-THE British government. utilizes as q
source of postal revenue all of the money
in its hands which Is not paid out to meet
money orders upon presentation and de-
rives about $4,000 annually therefrom.
Our government does not attempt to de-
rive any profit from this source, and the
money Is turned into the treasury, where
1t Is held In trust, as II were, to meet
these obligations. The government has
no desire to claim or confscate this mon
ey, and It will pay its obligations In the
form Of money order at any time upon
presentation, upon satisfying itself. In the
instance Of a long lapse Of years, that
there has been no previous payment by
duplicate or otherwise. In Great Britain,
] believe, this money becomes forfeited to
the government after a certain number of
years-four, think. The British govern
ment evidently proceeds upon the theory
that II a holder Of a money order or the
sender does not seek to cash the order
within a reasonable time the government
can put IL to good advantage by applying
the amount to Its own use. Such q prac.
tice undoubtedly facilitates the business
of the governments end Of the contract
and Is strictly legal II authorized by law.
In nearly all money transactions there Is
a Limitation upon the validity Of any
voucher which represents cash as to its
time for presentation. Even q note pay,
able without date h barred BY the statute
of limitations In the various states. : Il
'There IL today an accumulation Of
over $2.500.000 In the treasury Of these
unclaimed money orders which has been
gradually piling up during the years the
government has been conducting money
order business. With each individual or
der the government has made q special
effort to effect payment to the payee or
restore the amount to the remitteH and.
failing, can do naught but keep tbs
amount. The fact that $4,000 duplicate
orders are annually issued would appear
to indicate that the American people are
extremely careless In the handling of
these money vouchera Where the orig
inals go or how they are disposed Of
would fill a volume.
"a single order may be issued up to
800 In amount. and the average IL about
bulk Of orders and the larger Offices cash
Ing 9S per cent Of them. sr1i'
Travelling men. actors, circus men.
railroad employees and others whose
business requires them to move from
place to place are very fond Of buying or
ders payable to themselves. They cannot
spend an order as a bill, and as no one
but themselves or the indorsees may se.
cure the amount Of the orders they are
just that much ahead when they get into
the next town, making themselves their
own hnnkers. with the government as q
depository Sometimes an actor or q cir.
Gus man will present dozen orders AT
the close Of the season which he haS
bought from time to time. and their
amount represents savings which other.
wise world hnvn hnrn srrD'