The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-01-02

FT HAVE suggested III these
columns that, instead of tax
ing the newspapers and
magazines with higher postal rates.
the Postoffice Department might
earn enough to wipe out its deficit
IL it would cut down the weight of
q f1rst-class letter to be carried for
two cents to about a third of ;ts
present weight, and still accommo-
date business just as well. We
should do as the foreigners do--use
lighter paper and envelopes. The
Government is too liberal in the
weight it carries for two cents. 1t
could carry the same business with
less tonnage and get more money
for it IL it would demand the extra
two cents per letter on those which
weigh more than about third Of
the maximum size now.
But this is nos this only possible
way to get more money out of
carrying the mails, without taxing
business or doing any one any in.
justice. Take the abuse Of bad or
imperfect or illegible addresses, for
instance. Our news columns tell
as that the dead letter office states
that people are getting more and
more careless in the way they adj
dress their letters. Dead letter bust.
ness increased more than IL per
cent last year. There were 21,618. 1853
unbelievable letters mailed last
year. Add to these the huge mum
bers which were sent to wrong adj
dresses and which the admirable de-
tectives of the postoffices finally
after much trouble succeeded in de-
livering by ferreting out the adj
dresses, and the aggregate of care
lessness and error becomes enor-
nous.
Blame Is Divided
Now this is partly the fault OF
the people and partly that OF the
Postofice Department itself. All my
life have read the boasts OF the
department as to It's ingenuity in
finding addresses. Any one who re-
ceives large mail occasionally re-
ceives letter which on form ought
not to have reached him at all.
got one last week addressed to me
at town in Vermont, State in
which I never had even a tempo
rary address. have had letters for
warded to me from places like Rich
mond, where never stopped off even
over night. have had letters adj
dressed to Hubert Quirk sent me
from places 1 left thirty years ago.
All this is quite creditable to the
postoffice people and it is what they
should do.
Rut ought not this incorrectly ad.
dressed mail pay something for the
trouble it causes? I think it should.
I suggest to the Postmaster General.
then, that as a beginning all letters
addressed to people in cities of over,
say, 10000 population should bear
the correct street address or carry
cents in stamps.
Would End Deficit
This in itself would bring in
enough more money the first year to
wipe out the so-called deficit.
Then I should suggest tentatively
that when letters are sent to wrong
addresses it would be no more than
fair to make postage due" charge
on delivery for the trouble of look
ing up the correct address. This
might be 2 cents. 1 know the OBJ
jections to adding postage in cases
where the person sending the letter
can not provide himself-but all. this
dependence upon the post offices to
supply our own lack Of effort or
knowledge should be paid for where
possible.
Under such a penalty, people
would look more carefully after their
addresses. Addresses would be ON
their minds. We should become
educated in the matter Of care in adj
dresses This would be good for, us.
Next year we should almost certain
ly see a decrease in dead letter bust
ness. And the Postoffice Depart
ment would have an increased
revenue for doing less work per
letter. What objection to that7 I
see none.