Show Over Mon Million Dollars Wasted Annually Ammay By Mail Advertiser The direct mail snail advertisers ad of the tho United States in the year yea 1926 wasted wast wast- wast ed literally threw away over GOO GOO- through the tho use of obsolete mail mail mailIng I Ing lists combined with tho the failure t I of advertisers to use cards on their i envelopes These figures however 0 j include only advertisers advertisers' who mailed their circular under first class post post- age A very much larger larger- amount was vas lost by b advertisers who vho used third class postage i 1 ut it cannot however be estimated since a n. separate separate sepa sepa- rate record is not kept of undeliverable able abe third class matt matter r disposed of ofas ofas ofas as waste by postmasters Un Undeliverable deliver a able ble first class matter ma all goes goes to to the dead letter office oHice where definite re records records records re- re cords are maintained to show the quantity of each class of mail received received received re re- and its destination Under Under- third class matter is not sent to the dead letter office but is disposed of as waste at post ost office I of address The records of the tho Post Office department department department de de- show that during the year containing circulars circulars 67 letters lars and advertising matter all mailed mailed mailed mail mail- ed as first class matter were disposed ed of as waste by the dead letter service Figured at at five each to cover the cost of material printing printing printing print print- ing labor nd postage the total amounts to This advertising matter furnished over fifty per cent of all the tho dead letters handled bandied during the year Not only are direct advertisers wasting asting a great de deal l of money mane every year jear by using plain envelopes envelopes- but butI I the records of the dead letter office I show that flint thousands of nf individuals uv corporations and business firms lose large sums of good hard cash in this way war A typical instance came carne to notice in the Washington dead letter office a few days das ago An undeliverable unde- unde letter was received contain containing contaIning containing ing a draft for It was returned returned returned re re- re- re turned to the mailer maneI through information information information mation made m available when it was opened but some one lost tl the e interest interest interest in in- terest on for about fifteen days amounting to figured at six per cent Practically all this would have been saved had the I mailer used an envelope lopes bearing his return card It is surprising the number of or such cases involving large amounts Out of 25 million odd letters handled handled handled hand hand- I I led last year oVer one million contained contained contained con con- valuable The Tho Thol money drafts checks and money I orders orders orders' were eventually returned to the writers and all but about 40 i 40 of the money through t tion i on found within the IE letters they I all lost an average of fifteen days days' time which at six per cent on the whole amount means a lose of more than all through the tho use oP oft non card envelopes |