Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-21
Postmaster
Tells Why
Eight Million Packages and Let.
tsrs We're MOI Heard Of Last
Year by the Sendsrs.

1000 wv" ""e"iuS VoiuS ~ tut
postohioe the other day. owing to
train delays, when an Optic man ask.
ed for news. The postmaster was
scanning a department report, from
which he looked up and said:
why. here's something new; a
printed explanation OF why some Las
Vegas people have not received let.
ters; why some sent from here have
never reached their destination, why
packages have been lost. why coin and
currency have disappeared; why un-
delivered letters have not come back
to the writer's. Such things are re-
ported to every postmaster and he
gets a share OF the blame-postmas.
tiers collectively get all the blame
from cock-sure people.
"The dead.letter office at Washing.
ton received last year from the Unit.
ed States postoffices 100000 letters
that had been misdirected or which had
vital faults In the addresses, also g..
900 parcels. These were letters and
parcels that could not be dispatched
by postmasters. Also $4,000 letters
and $4,000 parcels having no address
whatever, which had been deposited
at postoffices. There were also u.s.
900 letters that had no stamps on
them and $4,000 parcels with no pos.
tage, or sufficient to permit OF ~
patch. That is, S71, 900 errors were
made by persons In not stamping mail
or not naming a postoffice. Had the
name Of the sender been on the en-.
velope or wrapper he would have been
notified by the local postmaster. Many
more unstamped letters and packages
were dispatched because the party ad.
dressed sent postage upon notiAca-
ton.
Then 100000 letters sent in care Of
hotels were unclaimed, while 216,0OU|
letters had only fictitious addresses.
There were $4,000 unaddressed en-.
velopes containing money found
l.,se In the mails and $4,000 Of this
the government was. unable to find
for, at either staring point q
destination.
In other letters $1,000 was found
and restored to owners, together with
81 SOC, 900 In checks and money orders
which could be traced to senders.
Also $4,000 lated to go back to-
unknown owners, , oni Inc dead let
ltr Office In postage stamps.
From the sale of merchandise
packages that did not have on wrap.
the names of senders, or which
were never stamped or addressed, the
dead letter office received 1920.
But here is something that ex-
the disappearance Of many let!
-ers and packages. There were de-
.ivered or returned to the sender az.
.er receipt at the dead letter office
only 1000, 900. as against 1900, 900 de-
'troyed there. Had the contents borue
he postOffice addresses and the full
signature Of senders, the 1900, 900
would have been returned to the
writer's. Or, II the names and address,.
- Of the senders had been on envel-
pes or wrappers return would have
,een made. This was all domestic
nail, not OF foreign origin.
so you see, nearly 5000, 900 peo-
lie per year wonder why expected
or packages came not and as
many more wonder why no answer
vas received except about fifteen OF
he sixteen million who think post.
matters are holding back or failing to|
oliver. [
Il guess that the errors and faultsl I
I p~ostofice employees would not tai.
up a large score In comparison
nth errors here shown to be charge
Bile To mail senders."
Just tell the people to sign letters,
ut addresses correctly, cease en-.
coin that will cut envelopes,
lace name and address on envel. I
pes and packages. and then to scru I
nise carefully before d~epositing IN , ,
ostoffice. and the dead letter Office J
~ dispense with several hundred =