Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-09

entail no burden on rural carriers, as
serviceable uniforms similar to those used
in the city delivery service can be pro-
cured at moderate charge and at no
greater cost to the carrier than the cloth
ing ordinarily worn.
I respectfully recommend that the deliv-
cry by rural carriers of mail matter to
communities remote from post offices, as
now authorized by law. be supplemented
by parcel post delivery at a special rate
of postage of cents for the first pound or
fraction thereof, and 2 cents for each ad-
ditional pound or fraction thereof for
packages not exceeding in weight eleven
pounds, mailed at the distributing post
office of any rural route for delivery to pa
irons of such route or of loop routes con-
nected Herewith, or at intermediate post
offices supplied by such rural service; or
mailed on any rural route or at any post
office supplied thereby for delivery on said
route. or on any other route served by the
distributing post office of such route or at
any post Office served thereby, or for de-
livery at the distributing post office.
Division of Dead Letters.
Since January II, 1907 the division has
returned all letters containing written
communication which disclosed the names
and addresses of the senders, despite the
fact that 1,341,s7s more pieces of mail
matter were received during the past
fiscal year than in the. preceding twelve
months.
This result is due to improved methods
in the handling of unclaimed letters,
whereby % per cent more letters can be
delivered than was possible under the old
system.
1t is gratifying to note that 1872, 465
more pieces of mail matter were restored
to owners than during the preceding year.
The number delivered, 5,225, 792, consti-
tutes about 80 per cent of Enclosures sent
to the division for disposal, exclusive of
printed documents, picture cards and I'M
important articles of perishable char
acter.
The estimate made in the last annual
report that 40 per cent of the letters
reaching the division were returnable to
the writers excluded such as contained
answers to newspaper advertisements. 1t
has been found, however, that the force
employed is now able to return letters of
that character, and the records indicate
that from 80 to 81 per cent of all written
communications are now being restored to
the senders.
The statistics compiled for the year
show in detail the receipt of 1905, 255
letters and parcels, of which 1,O11, 1868 con-
tanned articles of value other than cor
respondence. OF this number 1854, 1856
were posted in foreign countries, and
,724 inclosed negotiable paper. money
orders etc, to an apparent value of
s2,O1S,O16.36. The currency found in let
tiers received amounted to $67,715.69, an
increase of 6,5O6.1O over the preceding
year.
The sale of unclaimed parcels by auc-
ten yielded a revenue of $S,436.36. This,
with $40, 767. 01, money removed from let
tiers and found loose in the mails, amount
ed to $29, 2O337, which was in due course
delivered to the third assistant postmaster
general, in accordance with the provisions
of the postal regulations. There were re-
moved from undelivered letters and found
loose in the mails postage stamps to the
value of S3,61O32. which were destroyed
under proper supervision in the usual
manner.