THE DEAD LETTER OFFICE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1131, 9 August 1913, Page 4

THE DEAD LETTER OFFICE.

PUBLIC CARELESSNESS

NEARLY ,£20,000 HANDLED

When the carelessness of a million people is summarised, it assumes very large proportions. The report of the Postal Department, recently issued, contains surprising figures as to the collective carelessness of the people of New Zealand.

It is stated that a total of ,£19,863 16s 5d was found in the dead letter office and returned when practicable to the senders. The articles took the following form: —885 post office orders, ,£2,846 8s rod ; 68 bank drafts, ,£4,622 16s ; 1,065 cheques, ,£9731 2S qd ; 20 dividend warrants, ,£lO7 7s lod; 24 promissory notes, ,£1,125 193 5d ; postal notes, ,£586 9s 6d ; British postal orders, ,£lO3 6s 6d ; stamps, ,£56 2s io|d ; bank notes (including a ?sdol. bill;, ,£613 2S 6d ; gold. ,£54; silver and copper, os Bd. Amongst other things dealt with there were 17 gold watches, 31 gold brooches, 16 gold chains, 18 gold rings, 8 gold tie-pins, 3 gold bangles, 3 gold medals, 2 goldmounted tusk brooches, 3 pairs ot gold earrings, 1 gold-mounted cigar holder, 1 piece of gold quartz, 18 gold-mounted greenstone pendants, n gold-mounted greenstone brooches, 38 silver watches, 9 silver chains, 5 silver brooches, 13 silver spoons, 3 silver medals, 1 silver-mounted jar, 2 pieces of greenstone, 1 pair of field glasses, 1 Masonic jewel, 5 railway tickets, 1 steamer ticket, :6 lottery tickets, 5 pawn tickets, and 9 share certificates. The proportion of dead or unclaimed letters, letter-cards, and post cards to the total number delivered within the Dominion was 0.49 per cent., as against 0.44 per cent. in 1911. Altogether, 224,948 letters were opened and returned to the writers through the dead letter office , the balance returned by chief postmasters making a total of 562,761 letters, as compared with 496,068 in 1911.