Evening star., 1903-12-07
THE POSTAL MORGUE
REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE
DEAD LETTER OFFICE.
Over Ten Million Pieces of Mail Mat
ter of All Glasses and From All
Sources Received.

The report of the superintendent of the
dead letter office to the first assistant post
master general for the last fiscal year shows
| that the receipts Of mall matter of all
classes and from all sources were 10 I53 528
pieces, an increase of $50. or about s1A
per cent. While the percentage Of increase
necessarily diminishes with the enlarged
volume. a comparison of reports for q
series of years shows a continuous and
heavy increase from year to year. OF the
grand total. as above indicated, 1916 400
were ordinary unclaimed letters. an In
crease of $40, SEQ. or about per cent Or
dinary letters returned from foreign coun-
tries numbered $50 4OO an increase Of 49,
200, or more than double that of the pre-
vfous year. Letters of the same character
bearing upon the envelopes the card ad-
dresses of senders numbered Is, 964 a slight
increase.
Unusual Increase in Misdirected Mail.
There were 1877 $50 letters and parcels held
for postage and sent to the dead letter
office against 156, ,S31 the preceding year,
an increase Of 10.999. Misdirected letters
and parcels exclusive of postal cards num-
bered 694.977. against 536. .O68 an unprece-
dented increase of 15S. 001 or upward of 20
per cent. The unaddressed matter. includ-
ing envelopes containing money found loose
in the mails and in post offices, comprised
~ ,b0S letters ana 4O,SIS parcels, a total OF
SS 936, slight falling off from the previous
year. Excluding the money envelopes, 1t 10
shown that about 100 letters without any
address whatever were received daily
Domestic letters addressed to hotels. fall
ing Of delivery, turned into post offices and
thence sent to the dead letter office num-
bered 2SS307, or, including those Of foreign
origin. 80, 1885, a decrease Of 1S.695. There
were Ill .075 letters and parcels to fictitious
addresses, against 150.30T the preceding
year. There was, however a phenomenal
Increase Of ,63S for the fiscal year 1912,
evidently owing to transient causes.
Mail Restored to Owners.
The total number of pieces of mail matter
of all kinds restored to owners unopened
was 257 SAT, an increase over the previous
year of 1925. more than lo per cent
AS noted in the last report. this result
could not have been accomplished had not
the users of the mails availed themselves
to a larger extent than heretofore. of the
privilege of placing their names and ad-
dresses on the wrappers Of their letters and
parcels
Matter opened during the year. including
letters and parcels. numbered s.s85 2j6
pieces an increase of 61S,79S. or about 81
per cent
OF the opened letters 51,41e contained
money to the amount of s4S.634.O4, or ABOUT
the same as the last year This total in
cluded the various small sums found loose
in the mails, as above referred to. There
were 80, S64 which contained drafts, checks,
notes, money orders, &C., of the face value
of s., 493 563.65. This total also included
letters containing deeds, Wills, pension GER
tificates, insurance policies. &c.
Opened letters and parcels delivered, ne!d
awaiting delivery. or filed because delivery
could not be effected, numbered 1861 .S14.
an increase of ia 145.
Sent to Charitable Institutions.
During the year the usual distribution of
literature of various kinds, fancy cards,
etc., which could not be restored to owners,
among number of the charitable instItu-
tions of the District of Columbia for the use
of the inmates was continued The total
number of pieces SO disposed - WAS ~
$40. Including 5,4OO magazines and 2.910
illustrated papers This distribution is made
in n,rsuance of provision of the regula-
tions and by authority of the POSTMASTER
General.
In Insular Possessions.
The annual report of the dead-letter bu-
reau of Porto Rico conducted in connec-
flor, with the San Juan office, has also been
receivad and shows the continued success
ful onera tons of that office The total
number of pieces of matter received and
disposed Of during the fiscal year was 20
992
The second annual report OF the opera
tions of the dead-letter bureau OF Hawaii,
under the charge OF the postmaster at Hon
olulu has been received The volume OF
matter handled 20, 973 pieces, shows slight
falling of from the preceding year perhaps
to be attributed to an improved dehVecy
service A c,-.e.---; a i ins.ructive item of
this report is that of the s,42i pieces of
matter returned to foreign countries $50
pieces were returned to Japan against 222S
to the United States.