Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-02-14

Instructions have been issued by the
pOetnfNce department to all post
masters at rural delivery offices that
on and after February fifteenth rural
letter carriers will not be required to
lift loose coins from rural mail boxes
placed therein for the purchase OF
STAMP supplies n money orders.
The department has been forced to
adopt this policy owing to the NOR
nous extent to which the practice has
grown ana the resulting delays in the
! delivery and collection of mail.
instancing the extent 70 which the
abuse has grown. records Of the de-
partment shoW where as many as 1873
one cent coins have been collected
from boxes by a carrier on q single
trip, and 30 coins have been taken
from g single box at time for as
many post cards.
Complaints against the practice are
general. and from reports which have
been received and estimates based
thereon the rural letter carriers
throughout the country are required
to take from boxes in the course of -
year the tremendous total Of S00,0o0.-
600 one cent coins
Fourth Assistant Postmaster Gem
I oral DeCiraW. in referring 70 the mat
ter. said that the department had been
using every endcavor possible to in
uuce patrons Ia cease the practice and
| either to provide themselves with
stamps or stamped envelopes in adj
vance Of their needs. or to equip their
boxes with coin holding devices. or 20
place coins in envelopes or wrap them
IN paper. so that could be easily and
quickly collected by carriers. The sue
cess of these efforts. while marked in
some localities has been Indifferent or
negligible in others.
The unavoidable hardships ana
suffering" added Mr.. DeCraNN. which
rural letter carriers are called upon to
endure i'm the colder climates are
certainly severe enough. ami we have
reached the conclusion that we should
NOT have imposed upon them the al
ditlnnal hardship caused by cropping
about in boNeS ia cold weather TO col
lpct loose coins Besides the collec-
tion OF these coins effects a serious
delay in the delivery and collection OF
mail which could wen be avoided u
patrons were thoughtful enough to
stamp their mail or TO make the lift
ing Of coins from boxes easy and
expeditions"
The report Of the division OF dead
letters for the month OF January.
1910. shows an increase Of NV.s29
pieces received Owe the corresponding
period last year.
The Increase noted is distributed
among three classes as follows. Let
tors of domestic origin. eS5.49H. an
increase Of SO, l25, parcels az domestic
origin. 2S.573. an increase Of S,I62,
Letters of foreign origin, l51.f2s. an
increase OF 1l.042.
The dead letter receipts noted not
having kept pace With the mutter sub
mittcd to the mails for delivery and
IN. percentage Of returns being about
equally distributed among the Diff
fcreut classes indicate "a general Inn
rrottment i'm the efficiency of the
postal service. Apparently. the effort
OF the department L educate the gem
eral public on postal subjects is hay
ing its effect
Many of the parcels sent 10 the. dead
letter ofHee during the mont were
Intended for delivery Ia foreign
countries. bur they We're not properly
prerared tor transmission Tho
facilities offered by the parcel post
Tor the exchange ui merchandise in
the inter-mails are not very generally
known hy the public. uch matter
should De accompanied by q customs
Declaration hned out bN the ender of
"a parcel
Had the parcels and letters noted