Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-11-09
STOP THIS
v ASTE!

Washington, November 1, 1922.
The Importance of due care and 5he
disastrous results of carelessness are
so vital to the Postal System that we
quote the following short sermon from
the pen of that brilliant writer, DR..
Frank Crane, who has given US his
special permission to use the same:
STOP THIS WASTE.
By DR. Frank Crane.
The other day the postmaster at
Chicago had placards put on the mo-
tor vehicles operating in the Postal
Service reading as follows:
Stop This Waste!
25,000,000 Pieces of Mail Annually
Are Delayed or Not Delivered at
All Because They Are Incorrectly
Addressed or Improperly Packed.
The postal authorities call our at
tenti0n to the fact that there are 25,-
100000 pieces Of mail that they must
handle three to seven times oftener
than they would have to handle them
if they had been properly prepared.
And even after they have exhausted
every means of Identification and sal
wage they succeed in delivering only
slightly more than one-ffth of that
amount.
And this does not include vast guam
titles of circulars and newspapers
which are not properly addressed, and
which are destroyed because they can
not be delivered.
In Chicago there is one building
that is used as storage place for mail
of obvious value and for mail of first
class which can not be delivered. Twice
a year the contents are auctioned off,
because there is 10 way of finding the
owners. In this building are bins of
shoes, quantities of clothing, dress
goods, automobile parts and tires.
sporting goods, suit cases-everything
from bird cage to a mouse trap.
These are lost to both the one who
sent them and the one who should re-
ceive them because somebody was
careless in tying a knot, or used finn
sy wrapping paper, or put on defec-
tive address.
Nearly 500 employees are engaged
in correcting the common, preventable
errors of the people. The only reason
the post office can stand this drain of
carelessness upon its resources is that
the people pay the bill.
There ought to be a general cam
paign of education with the object of
inpressing upon the people the i'm
portanee Of properly preparing and
addressing anything they put into the
mail box.
Another waste, caused by sheer
thoughtlessness, arises from the Gus
tom of many business houses holding
their mail until the close of the busi-
ness day, when they release it to the
post office in perfect deluge. All
day, canceling machines, distributing
cases, and the other facilities for hand
ling mail lie practically idle, and just
after p. m. they are taxed beyond
their capacity. If people would SIM
ply change their mailing habits to the
extent of depositing their mail even
two hours earlier than they do at pres
ent, it would revolutionize the Postal
Service.
This article is written in the hope
that many |. aople will adept the idea
| Of paying better attention to their
mail matter.
After all, the post office is the great
public servant, and it behooves every
| citizen of the country to make that
servant as efficient as possible.
Much of the criticism leveled at the
post office is due to the carelessness
of the general public.
JOHN H. BARTLETT,
First Assistant Postmaster General.
The Postal Bulletin