CURIOSITIES OF THE U.S. POST OFFICE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2462, 8 February 1881, Page 2

CURIOSITIES OF THE U.S. POST OFFICE.

From a report recently published by the United States Dead Letter Office in Washington, it would appear that during the fiscal year terminating on 30th June last, the amazing number of 3.350.000 letters and parcels were, transmitted to that department from the district and country Post Offices of the Union. Of these epistolary wait's and strays, 2,700,000 were simply endorsed “unclaimed;” 290,096 were unstamped, 202.000 incorrectly addressed, 36,000 bore addresses apparently derived from the inner consciousness of their writers while 9,000 more were enclosed in blank envelopes, a proceeding highly significant of the childlike trustfulness, with which the intelligence of the postal authorities is regarded by a plurality of American citizens. Over 3,000,000 of those “ dead letters” were desti’oyed, it having been found impossible to discover the whereabouts of the addresses. Of those preserved on account of the pecuniary value of their enclosures, nearly 23,000 contained accepted bills

and bank cheques'to the value o£ more than $1,500,000, while 20,000 others were freighted with nptes, gold, and silver currency amounting to the round sum of 50,000 dollars. It is a strange illustration of the inborn carelessness of human nature, from which hot even the smarteSfrpcople afeiexempt, that a, sura of £310,000 should drift into official hands for want of the most elementary attention to the commonplace details of its despatch.