Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-06-26

in the dead letter Office has been reduced
more than half Then there were $50
employees now there are about so.
Five reasons are assigned for the dis
mantlement Of the dead letter Office. First
the establishment Of the parcel post sys-
TEN, not more than a year old. which has
diverted large volume Of the former par
Gel business done in the dead letter Office
The business once handled in Washington
has been turned over 10 the several post
Offices at division railway centers.
Second. letters from foreign countries
have been diverted TO the pOstoffice ex-
change agencies at the ports Of entry Of
this country. Then there are two man.
moth machines. which stand for efficiency
and can cut 5000 letters an hour. when
formerly the work had TO be done BY hand.
There is a SIMILAR machine for sealing
the letters once opened. identified. and
returned.
Last, but not least, the increased eff
cheney Of trained readers and deciphefers
Of the queer letters that come to the Office
from everywhere has developed capacity
for production that can crowd out" the
lesser and perhaps more superannuated
clerk.
In connection with the dismissal Of so
called "superannuated" clerks. an official
defends the departments stand. He said :
There has been a great hue and cry
against dismissals from the Postoffice De-
partment In our division. although these
dismissals have been frequent. can say
that we do everything in our power to find
work for the employees ousted. We have
referred them to the several branches Of
the service where work was 10 be had, and
when they did not want to accept work
outside Of the city we have found il neces-
sary to drop them. retaining only those
who were the more efficient workers.
The dead letter Office was established
almost 80 years ago. and is one Of Wash
ington's oldest and most widely celebrated
institutions. II was Established. as far
as is known. in 1925. when it was installed
in an old room in the building in Seventh
street, now the general land office
Before 1850 no detailed record was kept
Of its transactions. although the records
show the receipt Of $50. 900 letters in
1880 and 100000 in 1897.
In 1851 Congress passed an act providing
that all money found in undelivered dead
letters was to be used to promote the eff
cheney Of the dead letter office. In 1862
the report states that when letters con-
tanning postage stamps or articles valued
at less than 81 could not be restored to the
writer's, they were to be destroyed with |
their contents
In 1862 Congress authorized the return |
1f all letters bearing the names of writer's
whose contents provided sufficient revenue
% pay the clerk employed to return them.
In 1866 the postage for returning dead |
etters was reduced. The percentage of
money found in unclaimed letters was
nearly four times greater before 1864 than
It present.
The money order system was established
n 1864. Stamped envelopes imprinted
Nth the address Of the sender and request
or return were issued by the government
n 1865 for the purpose Of securing the re-
urn Of letters to writer's without opening.
There were employed in 1875. 20 men
md so women. and the office was men
Toned as "a model of industry and punct-
Iality." Last year the force consisted of
bout 1870 persons. handling more than
5000, 900 pieces Of mail matter annually,
md returning without charge all matter
aid at the letter rate.