Why Would Postage Due Be Uncollected?

I ran across this right after my last post re the airmail rate change. One ounce increased from 5¢ to 8¢ on 7/6/32. Since this was mailed on 7/8/32, it is appropriately marked 3¢ postage due, which evidently wasn't collected. Could it have been collected but not applied to the envelope (inventory control), or did the clerk give them a break?

Often times a postal customer will get multiple pieces of due mail with the total due amount collected on the top cover in the stack. This is particularly true with business reply mail and returned third class mail.
In this case, it seems reasonable that the sender sent out many philatelic covers for this event. I see no "return to sender" marks, so the recipient paid the due amount at the forwarded address.
It is extremely unlikely any clerk "gave them a break" and risked their job.

Thanks, John. This is a great forum; I am learning a lot from it.

If all three, postal employee, patron and cover, were present together, the patron could pay the postage due fee and ask the PD stamp not be affixed to the cover thus receiving the cover and the 3 cent due separately. But I do agree with John Becker, the postal employee was not going to give a '3 cent pass' and risk their job.

Building on ppg's post. Yes, it is good to keep in mind that many scenarios are often possible for when/where/how due charges are collected, although in this case I think it can be pinned down ... Shroon Lake, NY is a 4th class office without any carrier delivery service (also note the confirming lack of street address), thus the recipient indeed had to pick their mail up at the post office counter as general delivery.