Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-04
THE POST OFFICE AND THE MISSING MAN

vice rendered would be valuable to the
public
HAYS PLAN
Mr.. HAYS plan Is simple, Those who
are eager to locate missing relatives
go TO their local postmaster in per
son and consult with him. giving such
facts as the last city where the miss
ing man or woman lived, name. de-
scriptlon. and why II is desired To get
I'm touch with him or her.
This last is especially important, II
is the main reason why the seeker ~
urged to go direct to the postmnStcf,
instead OF writing letter. The Post
office Department has no intention ri
helping to locate persons who are being
sought for the purpose OF collectinE
debts. nor does n wish TO pursue PEE
sons who do not desire 10 be found"
Credit agencies are already asking
the department 10 help thcm find dis
appearing customers. Dcfraudcd mon
are trying thru the most offices 10 lo-
cate confidence men who cheated them
and departed over night Some "i
them feel that they are no less heart
broken than "a father Nno hats not sccn
his daughter for five years, and they
are just as anxious ns he 70 locate
their missing Friends
This is work for the police. II is not
the business OF tho Post Office De
partment and It is nor the service or
ENfu VIII NlllAil 'W' lfllfANAFN WV"
oral wants his postmasters to per
form.
Mfr HAYS points out that hunting Tor
missing men Is not part Of the de-
partmen''s work by any order. and that
the department has not obligated itself
to find the thousands OF lost person.
I'm the country. What Mr. Hays did
do was 10 suggest that he would like
the postmasters TO do what they can
to help sincere "srsous who have been
unable to locate relatives.
The Postmaster Generals printed
suggestion. sent out to the post offices.
leaves details as 10 how this assistant"
is 10 he given to the judgment OF the
postmaster. After he tnlk- with an In
quircr the postmaster may decide thaf
there ia no clue to follow. Or he maiy
feel that tho quest IL successful. would
not end in happy family reunion
HOW PoSTMAsTERS WORK
II he does feel that the visitor n sin
core. he proceeds by Inspiration, Iie
may get in touch with postmssters
where the missing man has been. Som
postmnsters have inserted notices iu
local newspapers. They have notified
police departments They have given
their letter carriers Instructions 10
keep lookout for a man or woman
answering the description given. Some
OF the missing men have been located
In these ways.
When n person thu, sought Is idcn-
titled, he is told that he Is being In
quired after. IL he wishes to get i'm
touch with the mother. or whoever It
seeking him. he does so. II he does not
wish to bc reunited to his family the
Post Office Department does nothing
further. II has no wish TO become in
volved in any domestic affairs.
Such OF the persons who have written
TO the department TO know how 10 re-
ceivc help in locating missing men have
shown that they did not quite under
stand Mr.. Hays offer. Some had a.
confused idea that the Post Office sys-
TEN was to write to every postmaster
In the counfr-- to locate the MISSING.
Wholesale letter writing Of this sort b.
postmastcrs, or by individuals either,
would obviously be out OF tho question
There are more than fifty thousand
post offices in the country. Ono post
master wrote that II he was supposed
to send letters TO all his fellow post
masters he would have to have a corps
of stenographers. MIR. Hays answer
was TO use his own Judgment
The Post Office Department does not
know how many inquiries are being
brought to post offices, and how many
persons are being traced At first large
numbers Of letters came in to the de-
partment but gradually people are be
ginning 10 understand that they are TO
60 70 their local post Offices. No rec
ord OF the number OF visitors to the
postmasters has been collected. Judg-
tnE by the hundreds of letters that
have come into the department there Is
great interest In tho new scrVice.