and far past 1955. But, that said it is also "better late than never" I suppose. A letter postmarked in 1944 that mysteriously arrived in the mail at Camp Roberts last month is now on its way to the person intended to receive it decades ago. The letter was addressed to "Miss R. T. Fletcher, American Red Cross, Station Hospital, Camp Roberts, California." Goto: WWII-era letter delivered to Camp Roberts in February is finally headed to right person - Local - SanLuisObispo.com
I guess they used a 'forever' stamp. They are talking about closing as many as 2,000 Post Offices in the US, I wonder how many more lost letters will come to light?
Anytime a letter is post-mark canceled, the price of the postage is LOCKED in. If the USPS doesn't deliver it, they cannot "charge" more for the time. Here in Mt. they have already closed a great number of local P.O.s, but they have been doing that for decades as people move out of the real rural areas. The "towns" still sort of exist, but they don't get mail anymore, at least not directly. A larger town "nearby" will get their mail, and then deliver it by car/jeep/truck to them. One of my best friends from high school, got married in the seventies, and his wife drove a mail route that covered seventy miles a trip to deliver mail to areas that used to have local delivery. They did that for about ten years, and finally just gave up since the bids didn't cover their expenses. I've been buying "Forever" stamps since they were offered. Who could tell what the price of postage was going to be as the "semi-private/semi-government" USPS tried to walk that delicate line they are bound to by law, since Nixon. They cannot MAKE a PROFIT, but they also cannot LOSE MONEY at the expense of the public. Crap, can't make money, can't lose money, but still have to "do the job". No wonder they are always in trouble. Since the privatization of the "parcel" service I don't see the cost as having gone down. I used to be able to send up to 50 pounds by Parcel Post (if I boxed it myself), and it met their standards, for $5.00 anywhere in America. Of course that was in the years before UPS was allowed into the market, they were cheaper to start with, but they quickly got more expensive than the old Parcel Post from the USPS. Just my rant on that.
