St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-12-14
A COMMUNICATION.
Editor Caledonian:

E0lTOr CalGQOn1an.
The approach of the Christmas
season prompts me to make a few
suggestions to the patrons of the st.
Johnsbury post Office relative to
handling the holiday mail.
First, do not wait until the last
day to mail packages as in the large
cities it is impossible to clear the
decks daily and packages started
just before Christmas are quite like
ly to reach the party several days
late. All foreign mail should be des-
patched by Dec. Is and western
packages should be started at once.
Last year on Christmas eve large
package left this Office for the
far west bearing the message on
gilt sticker ''Do not open until
Christmas Did you send it?
A word as to Christmas stamps
and labels. There is no sentiment in
business and Red Cross stamps or
Santa Claus stickers are not accepted
for postage and ten days before
Christmas the New York postoffice is
loaded with packages intended for
friends abroad well covered with all
kinds of stamps except postage
stamps. This mistake is not confin-
ed to foreigners, however, as pack
age was held up in the st. Johns
bury post Office last year, mailed by
an intelligent patron of the Office,
who thought Red Cross stamps were
good for postage because they cost
money and because the president of
the American Society happened to be
President Taft. If any kind of stick
ers are used they should be placed
on the back of the package, if going
abroad, and whatever destination no
stickers should be placed over the
Irvine that fastens the bundle. A
package all covered with little stick
ers may look artistic, but if the mail
clerks cannot clearly read the writ
ing it's chances of reaching it's desti-
nation are greatly impeded. No
packages for Germany will be mail
ed with Red Cross stamps and if
these stamps are used on packages
for England they must be on the
back of the package.
A word as to what writing is per-
Missile. The department allows a
card in package, Christmas greet
ings, or words indicating who the
article is from. But no book or
merchandise can contain anything in
the form of a letter or messages
that would naturally be written in a
letter. If writing that trangresses
in any book or package the article is
not only rated as frst-class, but the
sender is liable to a fine
The Office force and carrier will be
increased through the holiday period
and the decks cleared every day.
Packages will be received at the
stamp window, weighed and after
the postage is paid the packages will
be taken inside the Office and the
stamps affixed by the clerks. Please
do not buy stamps with large bills,
lint a a nc w
possible. The Department has ruled
that purchasers of stamps have as
near the exact change as possible
and the changing of bills at the
stamp window is done as matter of
courtesy and against the orders of
the Department.
The safe transmission and deliv-
cry of packages will be greatly in
creased if they are registered and the
fee above the postage for this service
is only ten cents. Each year there
is an increase in the number of regis
tered Christmas packages and the
extra cost is more than compensated
by the safer handling of such mail.
This is an educational letter and
the suggestion must be repeated
every year that the address of the
sender should be on the package as
well as that of the addressed, The
S0Au0T . udu0 anu dOUI0SS SuOulu De
in the upper left hand corner and the
| name of the addressee and the des-
tination in the lower right hand
| corner. The package should be Sc
curely wrapped and tied with strong
Irvine to ensure its safe handling in
the mail. This after all, is the most
| important word in my story and if
everything else is forgotten don't
forget to wrap your packages Sc
| curely.
A. f. STONE,
P M,