The Florida star., 1901-10-11

WITHIN the once tuHI IL can De LOlu al
most certainly who has handled any
particular case up TO It's date OF Issue.
so that detection would almost surely
follow disclosure. II VIII be seen that
the likelihood OF any wrong on the
part OF the ONCE force Is reduced 10 al
most nothing.
The loss OF papers Is quite effec-
tually guarded against by system or
charges. A paper taken from q divi-
sion or sent there for report is charged.
so that an examination OF the charge
slips shows where to look for a miss
ing paper. II following the charge
slips falls TO produce the paper. a re-
quest Is made OF the chief clerk by the
head of the subdivision responsible for
the safety OF the paper for n general
search 10 be made for 1t. This Is aP
proved by the chief clerk and for
warded TO the copyroom, wherein is
located the official seareher. who Is
then armed with authority 10 look in
every possible place for the paper.
Upon his call even desk drawers and
other places generally regarded as pri-
vate must be thrown open for his un-
hampered inspection. 1t is very rare.
indeed, that such a search fails TO dis
cover the missing paper, not one paper
out OF a quarter OF a million ever be-
Ing really lost, as one might suppose
they would be by being blown into
wastebaskets or incidentally inclOsed
with other papers. To guard against
such losses the waste paper is nightly
Inspected. When paper is lost. even
the leaves OF books are turned over.
file jackets opened and inspected.
cases pulled away from the walls.
desks moved and folded papers opened.
Under the complete system OF book
keeping, explained under mail and ex-
press clerk and financial clerk, no loss
OF remittances can occur after the
first entry has been made on the books
OF the former. A loss may occur In
transitions-in fact, the past reports
for all mail handled In the United
States OF the postoffice department
show that about one letter In $500 in
ordinary mail is reported lost and
about one letter In 10000 In registered
mail. consequently this office might ex.
pect. using the same proportionate loss
on It's mail. to have on an average
three or four complaints q week OF
missing letters. Upon investigation IL
Is frequentlyt found that the COM
plainant has himself forgotten to send
the letter as stated; that for some rea-
son 1t has gone 10 the dead letter
office; that IL has been misdirected and
finally returned 10 him; that an en-
ployee OF his own has stolen ii. or he
even may have written the complaint
knowing that he never sent the letter
as stated. hoping In that way to obtain
an extension OF time TO save a fee or
for some other reason. A considerable
percentage OF the complaints received
OF losses are for the above reasons not
genuine.
To prevent losses In the office the
first class matter is delivered into the
mail and express room In locked mail
bags and is not opened except in the
presence OF the chief clerk or one of
his representatives; the letters are slit
In his presence by an employee. who is
not permitted to touch their contents;
the slit letters are given to employees
to open and make up" the contents
under the personal supervision OF the
head OF the room. All remittances are
at once entered on what is known as
book A, and these. with their accom-
panying letters. are handed through 4
wicket TO the financial clerk. who en-
ters the contents upon book b. II the