The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-03-03
WHY YOUR LETTERS GO ASTRAY

! Wrongly addrcst letters cost the
! American people over $2,0O0,O00 in
needless expense annually. A total
! of 2OO,0O0,OO0 letters are deposited
in the mails every year that have to
! be examined infinitely by postofiice
! clerks and rcaddrest before they can
be delivered In IS of the largest
postofficcs Of the country $50 clerks
, working eight hours day are en-
ploycd exclusively to correct misdi-
rcctcd letters, and the annual cost
in salaries reaches $1,0O0,9l6. The
Dead Office Office received 16,586,41
undelivered letters last year, indi-
ating tnat that number Of American
citizens failed, through ignorance, or
perhaps more often through careless
ness. to put the proper address on
letter.
More serious still is the heavy
loss, worry and disappointment which
come as a direct personal penalty
upon millions of men and women as
result OF wrongly addrest letters
and parcels. The immediate property
loss is enormous. The indirect loss
VI DuSlIeSS anu HloHty rs icSuI
of failures to keep appointments.
failures TO secure or place orders,
failures to complete important deals,
all because necessary letters have,
gone astray. is beyond computation.
Anxious waiting for expected letters
has turned many hearts sick. Fail
ures have been separated, love has
been slain, human tragedies without
number have swept innocent lives to
destruction. because letters have been
wrongly addrest and nave not come.
Upon the postal service 33,00O,OO0
letters and 100000 parccl-post
packages come like an avalanche
every twcnty-four hours. Day and
night the postal workers battle with
this rush Of mail that flows into its
millions o. inlcts for transmission
through conduits spreading over the
country in every direction. Thou
sands Of expert distributors are re-
qdircd to sort this mail and start
it along the right channel toward its
destination. These distributors must
possess some thing more than mere
manual dexterity for handling inn
mcnse quantities Of mail matter
Their eyes must be trained. to read
handwriting which is almost utterly
illegiblc in some instances, and they
must carry in mind the most direct
routes to al points beyond the place
Of dispatch. One letter improperly
addressed clogs the conduits and
cause the delay of endless othcr let
tiers. The postal worker operating
at high speed in sorting a batch Of
letters must stop upon finding
wrongly addressed letter and spend
invaluable time inspecting it. Null
tiply this one letter by many mil
lions and you have an idea of how
these Instructions dam the flow of
letters througs the mails, destroying
efficiency and creating unnecessary.
loss Of time and labor.
TIL" wrongly addressed letter may
contain an urgent communication in
"nlying business success or failure;
it may bear a message of life or
death Wholly regardless of it's pos
sible importancc it is tossed aside
With dsdain by the busy clerk who
sorts and routes the mail. The dis
graceful name of "nixie" is given itt
It is passed from hand to hand for
scrutiny. and comparison with direc-
tories. Sometimes the words lad
dress illegible" are STAMPED across
| the face in red ink and it is cast into
sack with other riff-rafr of the
mails. Sometimes it is marked "Try
fulness the demand for these cars
is very urgent. Owners realize the
absolute comfort of the closed car
plus tne Hudson.Esscx reputation
for economy of operation"