The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-12-22
UNCLE SAM LOCATES
OWNERS OF LETTERS
efficient WORK DONE IN THE
BUREAU AT CAPITAL
Checks, Drafts, Money Orders and Other
Valuable Papers Restored to Original
Senders in Department Especially
Designed For That Purpose; Special
Branch of Postoffice System
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l

Washington, December 20.-MOre
than two and quarter million dol
lars worth of checks, drafts, money
orders, and other valuable papers
were found in undelivered letters by
the dead letter office during the last
pear and practically all were restored
to their owners. First Assistant
Postmaster General Daniel c.. Roper
in his annual report announces that
the dead letter division handled TO-,
S39,S90 letters and parcels during
the year, a slight increase over the
previous year. One third of these
parcels, or 3,677,194 was delivered;
101,4S5 contained things Of value
without clue to their senders and
were held for claimants; 7,019,436
had to be destroyed and 41,755 were
still being investigated.
Stamps and Currency.
In addition to the valuable pa
pers, with face value of $2,303, 119,
found in unbelievable letters, many
contained stamps and some currency
was found loose in the mails. The
stamps and currency unclaimed, to-
gether with proceeds from the sale
of articles of merchandise removed
from unbelievable letters, aggregated
$685. and SILL 900 was realized from
six months operation of a new pos
tai regulation requiring collection OF
one cent on advertised letters, MAX
ing the total net revenue $64,665.
Mr.. Roper says that the revenue es-
timated under present conditions for
a year would be approximately $75,-
900, which would make the dead let
ter division self-sustaining.
Time Limit Reduced.
|. To prevent the unnecessary ac-
emulation of letters containing val
liable Enclosures, provision was
contained in the last postal appro-
priation law reducing the limit of
time that such letters shall be held
awaiting reclamation from four years
to two years. The pOstoffice de-
partment has decided to discontinue
the final disposition of dead parcels
by the postoffices at Pittsburgh and
Cleveland Such matter formerly
going to Pittsburgh will be sent to
New York City, while that in Ohio,
formerly going to Cleveland will be
sent to Cincinnati. and matter. from
the southern peninsula of Michigan
will go to Chicago.
Growth of Parcel Post Business.
On account of the large, growth in
the parcel post business, experience
has demonstrated that the accumu-
alton of this matter at the points
designated for handling dead par
GELS has become so large as to make
difficult to find space for it's accom-
mediation. Regulations provide, in
the case of insured parcels, that
claims for indemnity must be filed
within six months, and it has been
found there is very little call for
lost parcels after the lapse of that
time. Accordingly an order will be
issued amending the regulations so
as to reduce the time for holding
such parcels prior to sale from
twelve months to six months. Last
year 395,116 parcels were found un-
deliverable.
Dead mail received by the division
of dead letters during the year con-
tanned 677,700 misdirected letters,
1876 unaddressed letters, 22S,7OO
letters held for postage, 100000 let
tiers written on hotel paper by per-
sons unknown to the hotels and
1O4,7OO letters bearing fictitious sig
natures.