The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-08-16
FINE IF FAIL TO RETURN LETTERS
The Government Wants Public To
Examine Their Mail Before
Leaving the postoffiCe.

partment has authorized postmasters
throughout the country to call the at
tention of their patrons to the law in
regard to persons receiving mail other
than their own.
Most of the complaints come from the
country postofiices. In many cases
postmasters have made mistakes and
placed letters belonging to one party
in another's letter box. The second
person has not taken the trouble to re-
turn it, and in this manner the mail has
been lost.
Attention is called to federal law
which provides a penalty for wilfully
withholding or destroying mail in this
manner. There is a law by which per-
sons have to examine their mail prior
to leaving the postot1ice building, and if
any mail has been put in their letter
boxes by mistake, to return it to the
postal authorities instantly. The law is
strict one and provides that no person
shall carry away another persons mail
from the postoflice. 1t is the duty of
every man to examine his mail before
leaving the building.
In some instances it is practically i'm
possible, or at least very inconvenient
to examine the mail before leaving the
postotlice. For instance, big business
concerns have so much mail that a
special place would have to be arrang-
ed for them.
If patron receives a letter that is
not addressed to him and opens it by
mistake, he is ordered by law to return
the postmaster instantly with the words
Opened by me by mistake" and signed
by him. The postmaster is then order
to reseal the letter in the presence of
the man who returns it and forward it
to the right party.
If a person who receives mail not be-
longing to him and wilfully withholds
it, he is subject to fine Of not more
than 5000. Since postotfice department
sent out the order the postmasters in
the country have been notifying their
patrons Of the law. In some instances
there is tendency to buck against
such an order. The Otto Leader in it's
issue Of last week has the following to
say about it.:
at has been reported that the post
Office department has made a ruling
that all mail must be looked over before
leaving the Office and any letter placed
in your box by mistake must be return
ed before it leaves the office under
penalty of 5000 for failure to do so.
This ruling is little short of public
imposition. We question the legisla-
tive authority of the postmasters.
We supposed it was the postmaster's
business to distribute mail. Let them
try to enforce such monkey business
and the public will keep close tab on the
man who pokes the letters in the wrong
box. We want to know if the post
master can put mail in any box and have
Uncle Sam fine you 5000 for taking it
nome by mistake
The postal authorities explain that
such ruling is necessary to insure
good service. Doing the vast amount
of work it does the postoffice depart
ment is bound to make mistakes, and
the patrons are therefore made to help
it. 1t is but case of 'help one another
and if all parties would follow out the
regulations of the postotiice department
there would be but little lost mail.
Another point to which the attention
of the public is called is the defacing of
mail boxes. 1t is quite a common
practice for men to scratch matches on
them and few know there is a penalty
of a fine of 5000 for such an otfense. In
spectors are ordered to make use of the
law for such offenses and in the future
persons who wish to scratch matches
on Uncle Sans property had better
make sure there is not an Inspector or
postal employee around.
Get cent box of Lax-ets at our
store please. We think they are great
Just test these toothsome, candy-like
Laxative Tablets for constipation, sour
stomach, biliousness, bad breath muddy
complexion, etc. Risk cents and see
L. P. VanWerden.
The public has its trials too. If it
isn't able to plead insanity now, it soon
will be.
By all accounts, some of the trusts
are glidip~ upon extremely thin ice.