Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-18
FOR CHRISTMAS.
Timely Information and Suggestions to
Senders Of Packages.

Santa Claus is not scheduled to APP
pear for several days vet, nevertheless
Uncle Sam has begun to assemble the
gifts. He has facilities for doing this.
which aren't possessed by another.
No hamlet SO remote but in some way
the gift consigned to the postoftice will
eventually find it's way there. But in
case the one to whom the gift is adj
dressed be not there and cannot he
found and there be in or on the pack
age no name of the sender, then there
is trouble.
Why do so many people neglect to
provide against trouble? 1t is COM
paratively easy matter to plainly ad
dress piece of mail and to write the
name and address of the sender in the
upper left hand corner. If this be
done there is little chance of the mail
going astray, and vet many fail to take
this simple precaution and wonder
what has become of the Christmas
gift.
There is another mistake many fall
into and embarrassment is caused by
the person receiving the gift having to
pay deficient postage on it. This
usually happens because of one of two
mistakes on the part of the sender,
either he has enclosed matter of a high
class with that of the lower class or
which he pays postage, such as a
note or other writings, making the en-
tire package subject to letter rates, or
| he has pasted the address slip or a
Red Cross or other decorative stamp
| over the string or flap of the wrapper
| TO hn palyo md cub ,.f
| the whole to letter rates. There is yet
another way in which the sender niay
| infict upon the receiver the annoy
ance of paying extra postage, and that
is when the sender writes on tn"
wrapper of a piece of second. third o.
| fourth class matter anything in TIL;
nature of personal correspo ndence
such as 'Do not open until Christmas,
anything. in fact. conveying informa-
| ton to the receiver except that it is
desired and proper for the sender to
write his name and address after the
word From" on the outside of the
package, also it is permissible to fndi
| cate the contents by such words as
| photograph" Merchandise" etc.
Those desiring to send a gift to a
| foreign country will do well to inquire
at the postoftice as with most foreign
| countries parcel post has been estab-
| lished and merchandise for those
countries will not be acceDted unless
| sent as parcels-post and if it should
| accidentally be accepted at the Office
| of mailing would be held up on the way
and delay be caused by its return.
Presumably everyone knows that ii
| they wish to send mail and have it
| treated with special care and be re-
| ceipted for on delivery. all they have
| to do is to register it. The registry
| system reaches every Office in the
| world. Should anything be lost.
which is unlikely, then the Govern
ment pays indemnity to the value of
| $25.
| If one wishes his mail to avoid all
possible delay. all necessary is to send
| it by, special delivery. when it is de-
livered Immediately after it reaches
| the Office of destination.
Domestic rates Of postage apply to
mail sent to Canada, Cuba, Mexico, the
! Republic Of Panama and the U. s.
| Postal Agency at Shanghai China, also
| mail addressed to officers or members
of the crew of vessels of war of the
stood that domestic rates apply to
| Porto Rico, Hawaii. the Philippines.
Guam. Tutuiia and the adjacent islands
of the Samoan groups Also it is pre-
sumed all are familiar with domestic
RAJ tes although occasionally these ruz-
Zle one to recall readily: Tirst-clas
DETER rate) 2 cents for each ounce or
fraction thereof: second-class | cent
for four ounces or fraction thereof;
thcird class (printed matter not en-
tered as second claSs). / cent for each
two ounces or fraction thereof; then
fourth class which includes all not in
the like, that is one cent per ounce or
part of an ounce. on a book or photo
graph may be written n simple manu-
script dedication or inscription. like
"My dear friend" "Sincerely yours
etc, with the sender's name but moth
ing which shall be in the nature of
personal correspondence. Sender may
enclose card with third or fourth class
matter and if the package be fourth
class may write upon the card "Merry
Christmas" or Happy New Year" or
"Witb best wishes"
For knowingly conccaling a piece of
higher class mail with a piece of lower
so as to have it 60 at the lower class
rate of postage is 4 misdemcanor pun
ishable with fine Of ten dollars and
ono very likely to be discovered.
The weight limit is four pounds eX-
cept in the case of sccond-class mail.