The Topeka state journal., 1922-01-04
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, D. Q.
THE POSTOFFICE AND THE
MISSING MAN.

]
Hays plan to help locate missing per-
sons has resulted SO far in a large
amount of correspondence for the
| postoffice department, some reunited
families. and a few puzzled postmas-
ters who have searched the postal
regulations in vain for instructions
showing how to proceed in a search
for missing relatives.
Mr. Hays has no idea, 1t seems, of
turning the postoffice department into
a complete detective agency. 1t mere
| II occurred to him one day that it was
rather cold d-bIooded to turn down by
form letter requests for help in To-
eating lost husbands and wandering
sons.
Pleas for help in such cases have
always come to the government.
Many people seem to think that the
postoffice department has a huge al
phabetical file of all the persons in
/ the United States AS a matter Of
| fact it has no such list. Nor have the
local postoffices any card catalogues
| of the populations they serve. The
i only reference list to which a post
master can refer in delivering mail to
persons whose address is unknown is
the city directory-the same book that
| is available to the public in drug
stores, libraries, and hotels all over
| the city.
incidentally, there is also a-popular
| belief that the census bureau has an
alphabetical list of the population,
and as a result the bureau receives a
large number of requests for ad-
dresses of missing persons. The CEN
| sus bureau of course, has no way of
| giving these persons any satisfaction.
The recor, taken by the bureau
enumerators are positively confiden-
| tial
The state department is a third
| government office that has often been
asked to help locate the missing, espe-
cially by foreigners. The state depart
ment almost never tries to trace per-
! sons in this country. Where for
| eigners are searching for lost rela-
| tives they are generally referred to
their copsuls in this country.
So, in the past, seekers for missing
| relatives have received Scant but
help from the government. Mr.. Hays
| considered the rule which says that
postmasters may not give out informa-
| ton concerning the names and ad-
| dresses of persons using the malls.
! He recognized that the rule is wise
| in that it insures to persons using the
mails protection against annoyance.
That was the purpose of the regula-
| ton and the postmaster general had
no desire to change it. Every one who
entrusts letters to the United States
mails is assured that employees are
not allowed to tamper with them, and
the regulation is safeguarded by heavy
penalties.
| But If relatives who were separated
! by accident could be brought together
without violating the spirit of the ruI-
| ing, Mr.. Hays decided that the serv-
ice would be valuable to the public.
Hays Plan.
Mr. Hays plan is simple. Those
who are eager to locate missing rela-
| tives go to their local postmaster in
| person and consult with him, giving
| such facts as the last city where the
missing man or woman lived, name,
description, and why it is desired to
get in touch with him oS her.
! This last is especially important.
| 1t is the main reason why the seeker
is urged to go direct to the postmas-
| ter, instead of writing letter. The
postoffice department has no inten-
ton of helping to locate persons who
are being sought for the purpose of
pursue persons who do not desire to
| be found"
] Credit agencies are already asking
the department to help them find dis
| appearing customers. Defrauded men
are trying thru the postoffices to To-
| them and departed over night. Some
OF them feel that they are no less
heartbroken than a father who has
not seen his daughter for five years.
! and they are just as anxious as he to
locate their missing friends"
This is work for the police. It is
not the BUSINESS of the postoffice de-
partment, and it is not the service of
good will which the postmaster gen
eral wants his postmasters to perform.
IIoxr froEe
for missing men is not a part of the
/ departments work by any order, and
that the department has not obligated
itself to find the thousands of lost per-
/ sons in the country. What Mr.. Hays
did do was to suggest that he would
like the postmasterS to do what they
can to help sincere persons who have
been unable to locate relatives.
| The postmaster generals printed
suggestion, sent out to the postoffices,
leaves details as to how this assistance
is to be given to the Judgment of the
postmaster. After he talks with an
inquirer the postmaster may decide
that there is no clue to follow, or he
may feel that the quest, If successful,
would not end in happy family re-
union.
| How Postmasters Work,
If he does not feel that the visitor
is sincere, he proceeds by inspiration.
| Ai4~S Sc Al IouCA VIII pOSIIadSters
where the missing man has been.
Some postmasters have inserted no
tices in local newspapers. They have
notified police departments They
have given their letter carriers in
structions to keep a lookout for a
man or woman answering the descrip-
ton given. Some of the missing men
have been located in these ways
When person thus sought is identi-
fled, he is told that he is being in
Quired after. If he wishes to get in
touch with the mother, or whoever it
is seeking him, he does so. If he does
not wish to be reunited to his family,
the postoffice department does moth
ing further 1t has no wish to become
involved in any domestic affairs
Some of the persons who have writ
ten to the department to know how to
receive help in locating missing men
have shown that they did not quite