The Washington times., 1937-06-16
MAIL AUCTION
BLENDS JOY
AND GRIEF

Mary's heart when it failed tt
arrive last Christmas - and the
sled that spoiled the holidays fol
little Willie when he didn't re
ceive it after Santa Claus hao
promised to bring it to him
will 60 on sale tomorrow.
These articles, and more thar
1000 more, will be sold at public
auction in the City Post Office by
the Division of Dead Letters and
Dead Parcel Post.
And there is a world of pathoS
and tragedy back Of this sale
blasted hopes of those who had
expected some remembrance at
the holiday time, but the postman
passed them by.
Plenty of Toys
There are loads and loads OF
toys for children, that were mis-
directed or poorly wrapped. There
are warm coats, that would have
been a blessing last winter, but
not much help on a warm June
day.
There are few old-fashioned
plain gold wedding rings, showing
their age. How they came to be in
this sale, none can say. Those
rings meant much to some per-
sons, but the Postal Service is not
clairvoyant. If the address is not
plain, if the sender's name and
address is not on a package, then
it winds up in the Dead Letter
Office, there to be sold to the
highest bidder at later auction.
4OO,66O Went Astray
And don't think that it is only
a few persons who are careless
in sending gifts and packages.
Last year the Dead Letter Office
handled more than half a mil
lion pieces, 400, $3.50 packages that
could not be delivered because of
faulty addresses, and 153,508 ar
ticles that were found loose, hav-
ing broken out of badly wrapped
packages.
Through much effort the depart
ment managed to trace and de-
liver 125.435 of these packages.
But of the balance, 224,121 were
sold at auction and 04,612 were
destroyed as contraband or of no
value.
One of the tragedies often found,
B. G. CowleS, superintendent of
the Division of Dead Letters and
Dead Parcel Post explained, is in
packages of clothing sent to needy
relatives in Europe by residents of
this country.
Lack Duty Fee
Those in desperate need Of the
clothing are unable to pay the
duty on it, and it must be sent
back to this country, where the
donor often refuses to pay the
return postage, and then it goes
into the sales.
Often articles are sent abroad,
and in an attempt to avoid duty
payment the sender does not give
a return address. So these, too,
go into the dead letter office.
Contraband is often found. De-
spite the strict law against send
ing pistols or revolverS through
the mails, they are often found
and ConfiScated. These are not
placed on sale, but are given to
guards, police and others legally
entitled to weapons, or are de.
Stroyed if they do not come up
to official specifications.
Drugs and Liquor
Narcotics and liquor are often
sent through the mail, and these
are not sold but destroyed.
There are 752 lots, many of
them containing dozens Of articles,
to be sold here tomorrow, and
also 80 lots Of foreign coins, stamps
and rare first-flght covers.
The big room on the third floor
OF the City Post Office, where the
articles are on display today, re-
minds you Of an old-fashioned
country store,
There is scarcely a thing you
can think Of that can not be found
in this collection. Tools, axes,
guns, books, lamps, radios, tables,
china, glass, silver, pictures,
mirrors.
Do you want the world? There
is a big globe there. And there
Is a huge Bible with a fraternal
seal on the cover.
There are scores Of lots of cloth.
ing, mems and women'S and chill
dren's. Stockings and handker.
chiefs by the hundreds. Lingerie
OF every hue.
The sale will attract several hun.
dred persons. And it will net the
Government between $1,000 and
$4,000, Mr.. CowleS estimates. Last
year the sales throughout the coun-
try brought in $34,156, which was
turned in to the Treasury as part
Of the postal receipts for the year.
/ But Mr.. CowleS wishes he didn't
have to hold these sales. He would
like it much better if persons would
. use care in wrapping and address
ing their parcels, so they would
be received by those for whom they
were intended. rather than wind up
] under the auctioneer's hammer.