Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-01-05

Credit agencies are already asking
thc department TO help them nn1 Dis
appearing customers. Drfrapded men
are trying through the post Offices TO
locaie nhdente men who cheated
them and departed over night. Some
OF them feel that they are no Less
heartiroken than father who hss not
so.n his daughter for FIVE years, and
they are Just as anxious as he to 10
cate their missing friends
This is work for the police II IL
not thu, business of the Postofyice I)s-
partment, and It is not the service of
good viii which tho Postmaster -Gsn-
eral wants his postmasters to Eer-
form.
Mr.. Hays points out that hunting
for missing men is not a part Of
the departments work by any ordsS,
and that the department has not obli-
gated itself to find the Thousands
of lost persons In the country. What
Mr.. Hays did do was 10 suggest that
he would Ike the postma sters to do
what they can 10 help sincere per-
sons who have been unable to locate
relatives.
The Postmaster Generals printed
suggestion, sent out 20 the post Offices.
leaves details ss TO how this assistance
Is to be given to the Judgment of the
postmaster. After he talks with an
inquirer the poatofice may decide that
there is no clue to allow. or ne may
feel that the quest, If successful, would
not end 10 D. happy family reunion.
How Postmasters Work.
/ II he does feel that the visitor IL
sincere hc proceeds by inspiration. He
maY get in touch with pos;nnasters
wh re the missing man hse beer Some
postrnasters have inserted notices in
local newspapers Tnoy have noti-
fled police departments. They have
given their letter carriers Instructions
70 keep a lookout for a man or woman
. answering the description given. Some
OK the missing men have been located
, IN these ways.
Wnen a person thus sought Is dem
: .ifed, he is told that he IL being in
} quired after. II he wishes 10 get in
touch with tho mother, or whoever Il
: is seeking him. ne does SOL r. he
does not wish to be reunited To his
family, the Postof7lce Department does
nothing further II has no wish 70
: become involved in any domestic af-
: fairs
Some u the persons who have
! written TO the department Ito know
!. how 70 receive help in locating missing
!. men have shown that they did not
. quite understand Mr.. Hays offer
Some mad confused idea that tht
postoftice system was to write tc
every postmaster in the country u
a locate the missing. Wholesale lettel
r writing Of this sort by postrnasters
l. or individuals either, would obviousl,
a be out OF the question There ar.
> more than fifty thousand post Office.
in the country. One POSTMASTER
wrote that 81 ne was supposed to sens
letters TO all his fellow postmaster.
he would have TO have a corps o
stenographers. Afr. Hays answer wa
TO use his own Judgment
The postoffice Department does TO
|, know bow many Inquiries are bein.
y brought to post Offices. and how man,
persons are being traced At frs
+, large numbers OF letters came in {,
q the department but gradually peo
!, pie are beginning 10 understand tha
;. they are TO so TO their local DOS
u offices. No record of the number O
q visitors to the postrnasters has bee
+ collected. Judging by the hundreds c
= letters that have come into the de
,e partment there is great interest in III
new service.