WASHINGTON (AP) - The use of
machines instead of humans to sort
mail is leading to increases in the num-
In e s ber of letters routed to the wrong city
and subsequent delays in delivery, the
Postal Service says.
in r s Postal Service delivery standards
call for letters to arrive in one, two or
three days, depending on the distance
they must travel. The mail agency's
111.a 1jstatistics show that more than 90 per
cent of letters are delivered within the
service standards, and missent mail is
one of the main reasons why some let-
delays APters take lSer.
A POSTAL SERVICE survey of in
tercity mail handled in 30 facilities
The Michigan Daily-Thursday, May 4, 1978-Page 11
found 2.2 per cent of the letters were Dorsey said the reasons for missent
directed to the wrong cities - often mail include mechanical and human
to cities in other parts of the country, errors and improper ZIP codes in the
Senior Assistant Postmaster General addresses.
E. V. Dorsey has told the Postal Service
board. UNDER MECHANIZATION, a
"As an example, a letter from New machine brings one letter to a position
York City to Washington might wind up in front of a postal worker. The worker
in Cleveland. You then have to send it has one secone to punch several digits
from Cleveland to Washington. It will of the ZIP code into a keyboard on the
be at least one day late," he said. machine. If the letter is going to a dif-
Dorsey said the missent rate is higher ferent area, he must punch the first
now that machines have taken over three digits but if these numbers are the
because "mail used to be sorted twice, dame as his area he must punch the last
and that gave you two chances to catch two digits. But the clerk may depress
errors. Now, you only have one shot at the wrong key or the machine may
it " misfunction.