The Detroit times., 1914-07-17
Number Of Employees Has Been
Reduced More Than Half
in the Last Year
IMPROVED SERVICE Is
MAKING 1T UNNECESSARY
Less and Less Need For the In
stitutiOn Because Of Adj
vanced Methods

march OF progress has singled out Ton
its victim another OF Washington 5
peculiar institutions, The old dead
letter Office" long the goal ot cuu
dren's innocent missives addressed go
Santa Claus. or OF the illeglble letter
address Of an illiterate foreigner, Is
gradually but surely passing out Of
existence.
Since last year the number OF EN-,
ployes In the dead letter Office has
been reduced more than half Then
there we're $50 employees, now there
are about so. ...
Five reasons are assigned for the
dismantlemeut OF the dead letter or
Ace First, the establishment OF the
parcel post system, not more than a
year old, which has diverted large
volume OF the former parcel business
done In the dead letter office. The
business once handled In Washington
has been turned over 20 the several
postofices at division railway centers
Second, letters from foreign coun'
tries have been diverted TO the post
once exchange agencies at the ports
of entry OF this country. Then there
are two mammoth 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 seal
ing the letters once opened, idenuned
and returned,
Last. but not least, the increased
eficiency OF trained readers and de-
cipherers Of the queer letters that
come TO the office from everywhere
has developed a capacity for produc-
ton that can crowd out" the lesser
and perhaps more superannuated
clerk.
In connection with the dismissal Of
so-called "superannuated' clerks an
official recently defended the depart
ments stand. He said There has
been a great hue and cry against dis
missals from the postottice depart,
ment In our division, although these
dismissals have been frequent, can
say that we did 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 out.
side OF the city we have found II nee
essary 10 drop them, retaining only
those who were the more efficient
workers,
There may be false notion in the
popular mind as to the function OF our
so-called dead letter Office The
world believes we concern ourselves
with the difficult manuscripts that are
written by illiterates and by wee chill
dren who write undeclpherable adj
dresses They think our staff has
nothing to do but develop eXpertness
in reading that which no mortal can
read Such is not the case.
I'VE have no longer the dead letter
Office OF 10 years ago. We have
evolved, and are now an efficient ma
chine To us come the unclaimed let
tiers, misdirected letters. unaddressed
letters. or letters 20 fraudulent con
Germs, as we'll as letters bearing pro
hibited mail, such as lotteries and the
like. We are not working to decipher
the illegible. All that is now left to
the railway mail service, an organiza
ton with Is branch Offices, which
hires expert readers
I'VE handle at least $4,000 pieces OF
mail a day, and each OF our so en-
ployes return 500 letters a day, or
tOLal OF 4U,UUU Gay.
1.-The dead letter Office OF IL years
ago represented a similar output OF
return mail of about 25o pieces OF
mail a day for each employe and
they employed twice the number OF
clerks we now carry
There has been some talk, II is
true, of consolidating the division Of
dead letters with another division IL
Is certain they cannot do away with
!. the work altogether Whether this
Nonsolidation will take place I cannot
say"
The dead letter Office was estab
lished almost 90 years ago, and is one
OF washington's oldest and most
widely celebrated institutions II was
established, as far as Is known, IN
1925, when IL was installed In an oh
room In the building in Seventh,st,
now the general land Office.
Unlike many OF the divisions OF the
department IL was not created by stat
ute, but became an institution result
ing from regulations that letters be
sent TO "the dead letter Office"
Its functions, or part of them at
least. may have antedated Its estab-
lishment here Il is said A similar
branch OF postofice administration
was known at the time OF BENJAMIN
Franklin when the federal capital was
located at Philadelphia.
Before 1860 no detailed record was
kept OF its transactions, although the
records show the receipt OF $4,000
letters in 1880 and 100000 in 1897
The senate adopted a resolution
March 9, 1859 requesting the post
master-general 10 state the number
OF letters received In the dead letter
Office during the fiscal year and 20
determine what further legislation
was necessary 10 diminish the mum.
Der OF such letters and 10 provide for
their return 10 senders, The receipts
for that year were 2500000 letters
and parcels.
In 1861 congress passed an act pro.
viding that all money found in unde
livered dead letters was 10 be used
20 promote the efficiency OF the dead
letter Office.
In 1862 the report states that whei
letters containing postage stamps
articles valued az less than 81 could
not be restored TO the writer's. tho
were TO be destroyed with their con.
tents
In 1852 congress authorized the re
turn OF all letters bearing the name
OF writer's whose contents provided
SUFFICIENT revenue 10 pay the cleri
employed 20 return them
IN 1855 the postage for returning