Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1922-12-20
DECEMBER 20, 1922
OUR SLOGAN:
posrMAsTER-eENERAn WORKS. SIDE OF TT

FV1HERE are, Of course two sides TO the recommends
IL ton made 10 Congress recently by Postmaster
General Work that Zee OF cent should b
charged piece OF Improperly addressed mall t
which, for purposes OF delivery. what is known tech
nicaly postal circles directory service" must be
applied-or lay language for the delivery OF which
mall matter the POstOhce Department must hunt up
Information.
Viewed by the broad. the recommendation is a fine
one because the present System OF handling de-
fectIvely-addressed mail costs the department almost
100000 year
It is not the recommendation that the charge be
made that public objection IT, but the fact
that Congressional action proposed. the pen
atty would fall upon the recipient and not upon the
sender the mall-upon the person who is innocent
instead OF upon the person who IS guilty. No doubt
there desire the part OF the Postmaster
General to that way. he Is pursuing
pubilc-be-peased policy along dignhed and sensible
lines The difficulty that confronted him when It
10 framing his money-saving and educational
snendation that he could find practical method
whereby the penalty might be assessed against and col
lected from the sender.
Therefore, It only is fair to the Postmaster General
to forth the public his point view the
ter.
The handling of improperly addressed mall Is
OF the annoying and expensive problems which
the postal service faces the present time and
spite its endeavors impress upon mailers the
Importance OF proper addressing that
the quantity this mall which pouring daily into the
mail the country is stupendous repre-
almost needless drain upon the postal estab-
lishment.
In a recent study of the problem in the Washington
postofhce it discovered that sixday period It
necessary give directory s94S4 pieces
OF MALL but than this, the following paragraph
from article the Postmaster GENERALS sigma
ture in the Nations Business for July, 1922 entitled
THE Drag of the Dead Letter" will give an accurate
picture of what this to the postal service
whole;
THE magnitude OF the task performed by the direc-
tory service indicated by survey OF seventy
five OF the largest postoces. At these Offices
required the work OF $50 employees working eight
daily handle mall requiring special attention
and the annual in salaries $1,000 9l6. The
number OF pieces mail given directory
service daily 1881 the average cost for each
piece of such mail was soOs7 Using these figures as
basis is estimated that the total number of letters
given this special treatment postoces during the
past fiscal year reached the>stupendous total OF
2oo.oOoOOO. The cost OF handling them was approx
anately s1.74O,OOO"
The department in urging a remedy for this unde-
srable condition is not actuated by wholly selfish
ves because the giving OF directory reards the
delivery of mail all along the line to the consequent rr
tation OF patrons OF the service.
While, at first thought may appear that the enact
ment of law collect fee from the addressee Of
Improperly addressed mail would in effect be exact
ing fine from the innocent nevertheless It is believed
by the Postmaster-General this Is the most eec
tive way to reach the the difficulty which is
TO be found in the practice Of large maers Of using in
accurate and obsolete mailing lists
The addressee is protected by his privilege to refuse
mail which carries additional charge for postage in
which event the mail is to the sender or is
sent TO the dead letter Office the other hand II the
mailer understood that his neglect to keep his mailing
list in order imposed penalty either on himself or his
correspondent the avalanche Improperly addressed
mail would be checked because the bulk OF originates
with the large mailer not consist OF the per
sonal correspondence OF individuals.
In closing, it should be that the necessity for
something Of the sort apparent to Postmaster
General Works predecessors in Office that both former
Postmasters General Burleson and Hays made similar
recommendations. In fact. has been urged upon
Congress since 1915 and for reasons explained DR.
Work considered it advisable to renew It in his last an
nual report
The above is the Postmaster Generals view OF THE
assravang and burdensome situation and It is deserv-
Ing Of the intelligent and sympathetic attention OF our
readers who cannot fall appreciate the commend !
able effort that is being made by him to establish new
record for efficiency and economy in the admInlsra-
sion OF the Postofhce Department