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Show Uncle Sam's Grab-Bag. B12CAUSE of carelessness on the part of persons sending packages through I the mails the I'ost Olllce Department ,i selling nt auction JJ.oGO articles fonud unwrapped in thu malL According to Postniabtcr General Hitchcock this uuui (her will be vastly increased when the pai eels post service Is established. At present packages scut as fourth clas 'mail matter are limited !u weight to foui ! pounds. Under the parcels post law the rate is cheaper and parcels may bo us j heavy ns elecu pounds. This will, so thlnlc the postul authorities, lead to Igicatjr carelesa-ncas and mole bother .for the department. Lost mail matter that can be identified is delivered to applicants by postmaatcrh at division headquarters of thu railway mail service on receipt of application and on recommendation of the inspection sr-ice. sr-ice. More than fifty thousand such articles are sent to the division of dead letters each joar. Many of these articles are of considerable value and arc bought In by bidders at the annual auction sales. Others are worthless except as junk or cheap jewelry. The estimated value of the articles on alc this year is 1,000. Of 432 pieces 1 of valuable jewelry, 315 were received without nny wrappers or any indication of owacrship. Thirty-seven per cent of the salablo printed matter was received with uo vestige of address. |