Part 85, page 279

Transcript

The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

Mobile, Sunday, Nov. 14, 1974 Press Register—17-E

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Properly packed parcels please postal people

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By MOLLY HUNTER Living Today Writer It's that time again when the world begins thinking about holiday mailing — the time of year when millions of packages are delivered safely and on time — or not delivered safely and on time

Undeliverable packages, mainly due to improper packaging by the sender, is something that is and probably always will be a problem. There will never be a system, according to J.K. Lee Sr., Postmaster, that will be 100 percent damage free.

The greatest percentage of undeliverable packages begins with improper packaging by the sender. "If the package is not wrapped properly, the sender is doing himself a disfavor." Mr. Lee said.

He added that the post office tries to improve the system all the time by encouraging the sender to pack his parcels properly. Mr. Lee said the secret to whether it gets to its final destination or not is in the strength of the box that is used and the cushioning inside of the box.

Mr. Lee mentioned that the post office used to encourage the use of string in packaging, but now with the many varieties of tape on the market, such as the nylon reinforced tape, it encourages the tape instead. The post office discovered string to be susceptible to getting caught on various objects in contrast to tape.

The post office discourages the use of department store boxes — they simply are not strong enough. As for cushioning, the post office suggests plenty of newspaper, tissue paper, styrofoam or some kind of foam padding.

"Believe it or not," Mr. Lee said, "we have actually gotten packages that are simply brown paper bags stapled at both ends." he said.

Mr. Lee explained a new nationwide system that has been worked out. When a clerk accepts a package at the window, he must initial it in the lower right hand corner of the box. This helps identify who accepted the parcel, so if a parcel is improperly packaged, it is brought to the attention of the clerk responsible in order for him to become aware of such things in the future.

Last April. Mr. Lee devoted a great deal of time working with a group of men at the Atlanta Bulk Mail Center to identify any damage points at the center. "We worked day and night studying each point in the process of handling, loading and conveying. We went to extreme lengths to pad and cushion various points that we found to be hazardous in the loading process and handling of the bulk mail, such as the bars at the end of the slides and the eight miles of conveyer belts, which involve many sharp turns. There was quite a bit of equipment modification after this study." he said.

The result? A significant reduced number of damaged packages. Tossing and throwing has also been completely eliminated from the loading process, he added.

One may ask the common question about what happens to the packages that are never delivered.

If the package has any sort of identification anywhere on the outside or inside of it, it is given "first aid treatment", which usually involves taping up loose flaps with the strong nylon reinforced tape. This sort of thing, according to Mr. Lee, is usually detected during one of the sorting stages — it is extracted from the group, put in a plastic container and sent to "rewrap." Books, Mr. Lee stressed, are the most common problem since they are so heavy. They have a special machine that places metal bands on the box of books to insure against any more damage.

But then there are the packages that have absolutely no identification what-so-ever on the inside or out.

These parcels are sent to the Dead Parcel Office, which is a center strategically located throughout the United States. At the Dead Parcel Office, they are held for 60 days in order to give either the sender or receiver plenty of time to send out a tracer or file a claim on the parcel.

The articles are stored at the Dead Parcel Office according to what they are — there are bins for anything from shoes to photo albums.

If a claim or tracer has not been sent out within 60 days for a particular article, it is put up for public auction.

A claim, explained Mr. Lee, can be filed at any post office in the country — it does not necessarily have to be filed at the sender's or receiver's points. The same thing is true with a tracer.

The undeliverable packages will keep piling up as long as the sender continues to wrap his packages improperly. And, as Mr. Lee said, besides the fact that the sender may be improperly packaging the parcel, there is no system that is going to be 100 percent fool proof. But the public can help.

So, taking just a few more minutes of your time to look for a roll of tape or to check the strength of your box or to find a few more sheets of newspaper to cushion the articles can make the difference.

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THE RIGHT WAY — Sandra Andress, window clerk at the main post office in Mobile, is happy to receive a package properly wrapped with enough tape to secure the package at all points. This package will probably reach its destination without any trouble because the sender took the time and the little bit of trouble to wrap it properly for mailing. (Mobile Press Register photo by J.P. Schaffner)

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