The Ely miner., 1924-02-15


it's foundation. Periodic and sys-
tematic campaigns have been waged
against it but the evil grows as fast
as the rapidly increasing business
of the postal service itself.
The Post Office Department, or,
in the finaf analysis, the tax payer,
pays an annual toll for the support
of this malignant growth, amount
ing, in round numbers, to $1,74O,-
600.
Of late years, however, it has be-
come more and more apparent that
the Department and the tax payer
are not the only sufferers from the
evil Private business and private
industry every year lose millions of
dollars from the same cause, which
strange to relate, is, in most part
preventable.
disease-is nothing more or less
than the careless addressing of mail
matter; the depositing of letters and
packages with incomplete, made
quate or incorrect addresses, an
overwhelming majority of which
comes from large patrons of the
mails.
In another effort to stem the tide
of this waste; to save money for the
taxpayer and to turn back into con-
structive business channels the mil
lions now lost through mistakes,
Postmaster General New has desig-
mated the week of February 18 to
25 as BETTER MAILING WEEK.
During that week he will seek the
cooperation of chambers of COM
merce, boards of trade, large busi-
ness and industrial enterprises, and
the press of the country, with view
to having antiquated mailing lists
brought up to date and every check
placed against the possibility of let
tiers reaching the postal system with
out accurate addresses.
The Post Office has gone a long
way toward assisting business men
in solving the problem. Postmasters
have interviewed heads Of firms who,
due to the fact that their mail is
handled by subordinates,, often are
not aware of their own mailing diff
fculties. The Department has even
offered to furnish its own clerks to
correct and bring mailing lists up
to date at the nominal charge of 60
cents as hour.
At one time the proposal was
made to Congress to place a one
cent charge upon each letter requir-
ing directory service, thus attacking
the problem through the pocket book
of the mailer as the only means of
solution.
1t is believed, however, that if the
individual, firm or corporation, de-
pending to any extent on the mails
for its business, can be brought to
realize that the delay, and often
non-delivery of mail, results in loss
of business and profits, the most inn
portant step will have been taken to
correct the evil.
1t is estimated that 100000, 900
pieces of mail are yearly given "di-
rectory service, which means that
postal employees must take time from
the regular handling and dispatch
ing of mail in the endeavor to pro-
vide correct addresses for this huge
volume of mis-directed matter. In
New York City alone the cost of
this service approximates $500 daily.
There is every evidence that the
mailers of incompletely addressed
matter believe that to the postal SER
vice nothing is impossible. The i'm
piled compliment is appreciated but
it must be remembered that this no
longer is the age of the town pump
and that our cities have grown so
that no longer can mail distribut-
or be expected to know everybody
in town..
Mail inadequately addressed and
requiring service, of course, means
delay. Often it must be returned
to the sender for a new address.
For the lack of return address
nearly 20,000,0O0 of these are sent
annually to the Dead Letter Office.
No matter which course these let
ters take it meass loss of money.
Directory service and the Dead Let
ter Office are costly to the Postal
Service. Delay and non delivery
are, more often than not, costly to
the mailer.
Solicitations for orders cannot
produce results if the customer does
not receive the solicitation. If he
receives it few hours late COM
petitor may get the order which
otherwise would ave gone to "you".
Often the solicitation does not con-
tain the street address of the adyer-
tising firm and then the custo aer's
order is subjected to the same d.
rectory service and resultant delay
which befell that of the advertiser.
Any business or commercial house
knows that the delay to an order
often means cancellation, as we'll as
the loss of future business. Moral:
Put your street address plainly, not
only on all letter-heads and en-
velopes, but on newspaper and
magazine advertising.
The reaction of a customer to the
return for a better address of an
important order can easily be i'm
agined. If he knows another firm
handling the same commodity he
does not attempt to locate the ne
to which he first sent the order
Many of the largest and most
progressive firms in the country
have long since realized that while,
at one time, to appear street
addressless may have given an air
of Importance, this condition no
longer exists. Accordingly their ex-
act locations now are registered on
order blanks, letter-heads, envelopes
and on all advertising. On the other
hand, many firms have still to learn
this lesson. Recently list was sell
ected at random disclosing that 281