THE DEAD LETTER OFFICE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1723, 30 November 1887, Page 3

THE DEAD LETTER OFFICE.

The annual report of the Dead Letter Offioe, whioh is one of the yearly ourlosl ties of the session was presented to Parliament recently. It atatea that no fewer than 103,083 unclaimed letters had to he dealt with during tho year, of whioh 66 729 were opened and returned to the writers, 21,144 were returned unopened by postmasters, and 6600 were destroyed. Besides these, 19,330 bookpackets and circulars (mostly Dr Barnardo's and Mother Selgel'e) were returned to foreign countries ; 6291 were returned to the senders through the Dead Letter Office, and 8110 were returned by Chief Postmnstem ; a total of 33,361 book packets and circulars, against 23,184 In 1885. The undermentioned articles of value were found enclosed m letters opened m the Dead Letter Offioe, and returned to the senders where practicable :— 164 money orders, £596 13s 3d ; 29 postal notea, £16 7a 6i ; 38 bank drafts, £1383 180 8i ; 92 oheques, £827 14s Id; 21 dividend warrants, £24 9s 6d ; 7 promissory notes, £285 la lid ; stamps £6 6s 3sd ; bank notes, oolontal and foreign, £100 12a lid ; gold, £14 10s ; silver and copper, £3 2s 7d ; representing a total of £3264 16s Bsd. In addition, 6 gold rings, 14 k;o d nuggets, 1 gold locket, 1 Geneva gold hunting watch, 1 lady's silver watch and gold ohain, 1 gold pin with pearl, 4 silver watches, 1 silver chain, 1 silver bracelet, 1 silver locket, 3 silver brooches, 3 pairs of silver earrings, 1 pair of greenstone and gold earrings, 1 greeostone brooch and earrings, 1 greenstone pendant (ailvermouuted), 1 circular piece of greenstone, 1 aluminium albert chain, 1 steel chain, 1 shark's tooth and silk ribbonß, 1 silk necktie, 1 New Zealand war medal, were also enclosed m unclaimed letters 4312 unclaimed registered letters were dealt with ; 20 letters detained for postage were received, 12 of which were subsequently forwarded ; 882 newspapers and 26 books and other articles without addresses were aleo received — of these 38 were delivered, and 69 bookpackets forwarded to London and other countries for return to the senders ; 77 letters were posted without addresses ; 45 iolters with libellous addresses were intercepted ; 191 letters "were imperfectly and wrongly addressed ; 2736 letters were refused by the addresses ; 22 letters were posted with previously used stamps. The unclaimed property, the accumulation of years, is to be sold publicly, and the proceeds paid over to tlie revenue. • All unclaimed illustrated newspapers, &c , are now distributed to hospitals aud lunatic asylums. — "N.Z, Times."