The Washington herald., 1912-12-22

carry holiday remembrances from our
seaports to various parts of the world,
but the term is always considered as
applying particularly to the last great
express steamer that departs for Eu-
rope in time to insure the delivery Of
such gifts on or before December Is.
Sometimes. however, there are two
such ships. OF different lines, which leave
New York simultaneously. or almost.
One OF them, perhaps, will go to Ply
mouth, and thence across the English
Channel to Cherbourg, in France while
the other makes Liverpool its destina-
tion. But in either case the Christmas
mails are carried for the European Con-
tinent, as well as for the British Isles.
The Christmas ship for the Philippine
Islands is a War Department transport,
and leaves San Francisco six weeks in
advance. For many of our fighting men
IN the archipelago. and civilian officials
likewise, are stationed at points away
| from ManiIa-elther inland or on distant
islands-and an extra allowance of time
| Is required for the delivery to them of
boxes and other parcels of merchandise.
The packing OF Christmas boxes for
our soldier boys and other dear ones in
the PHILIPPINES is an annual task both
loving and delightful in many an Amer
and from New York to San Francisco.
And II the dIspatching of these Christ
mas consignments gives pleasure to the
| senders, one may well imagine the gratl-
f1cation derived from them by the recip-
ients-eagerly interested as the exile al
ways Is in whatever comes from the
| far-off home.
Dread Christmas season.
There are even Christmas ships that
leave New York, for Porto Rico and
the Canal Zone. and which carry many
box and package for temporarily ex-
patriated Americans In those bits of out
lying United States territory. These
vessels have regular sea post-offices. like
those on board of the big transatlantic
express steamers but with only a sin
| gle clerk in charge. who is maritime
postmaster, postmaster's clerk, and all
the other requisite officials rolled into
one.
On the transatlantic steamships the
holiday season each year is looked for
ward TO with dread. by reason of the
enormous extra burden Of mail matter
that has to be handled. 1t is impossible,
with the available force. to handle all
/ of il with anything like the usual eX:
, peditiOn. and, as a consequence. much
/ of il is delayed. a large fraction OF the
whole being delivered TO the general post
! office in New York as unmarked mat
| teri e., unsorted and requiring to be
digested and distributed in order to make
I it ready for delivery.
About Christmas time, for some rea-
son unexplained. pieces Of mail matter
! iIlegibly addressed increase out OF an
proportion. making much extra labor
and delay. But the total bulk Of mail
/ is multiplied by three. The average
transatlantic steamer at other seasons
brings over, and delivers at New York,
LOO sacks of letters and other postal
stun. But during the holidays the num-
Der of sacks often runs over 1900 and
occasionally above 5000 Sometimes un-
occupied staterooms have TO be stripped
OF their furniture to make room for
Christmas mail.
Naturally. the Canal Zone looks to the
United States for the bulk of its Christ
mas supplies. which are shipped from
New York to Colon about q month in
advance This year the shipment pre-
pared included so medium-sized Christ
mas trees and fifty large ones. the lat
ter being intended for Club-housc.' and
churches Those of medium size. eight
to ten feet high. are in great demand
by employees of the canal system who
want a home Christmas and deem it
incomplete without a tree.
Chrlstmas on Canal Zone.
Incidentally. Mai. Wendell L. Simpson.
who has charge OF the business in New
York, sends a supply Of small German
Christmas trees in pots, and a sufficient
quantity OF small Colored candles and
Christmas-tree Eewgaws. Also, he has
forwarded a great lot of holly, in crates
This year ne has sent to the Zone
g.
mas Two carloads of these will be
shipped out from Colon across the 18TH
mus and delivered in suitable quantities
to the Commissary storekeeperS at vari-
Gus points. They are sold at only
trifie above cost. which is low, the play
things being purchased direct from I'M
porters in New York. There are many
dolls in the consignment, and most Of the
rest OF the toys are of the sort (gOOd,
Germany" Mechanical playthings do not
cut much of a figure. because they will
not stand the tropical climate.
Some time in advance of Christmas,
the commissary department in the Canal
Zone takes orders for special fruit
cake" deliverable December u: likewise
for plum pudding and mincemeat.
For this Christmas 1.50O turkeys O7,O00
pounds have been shipped to the zone.
"
lettuce sixty barrels of Cape Cod cram
berries. and 80 kegs of fresh oysters.
The oysters are sold at $50 the gallon
keg. or in pasteboard containers hc'
ing twenty-five large ones, at % cents
quart.
Large quantities of game have likewise
been sent. and during the Christmas sea-
son Americans in the zone will be able
to buy blackhead ducks at 50 cents a
pair, teal ducks at 20 cents a pair. and
other such luxuries at proportionately
low prices. The game. including venison.
comes direct from England for the most
part, and pays no duty.
"Mau Only Steamers.
At Christmas tine immense quantities
of oranges are received at Colon from
Jamaica. They are retailed at a cent
apiece From the same source come un-
limited supplies of grape fruit. equally
cheap relatively to prices in the United
States: and bananas, brought down the
rivers by natives in boats, may be had
for 80 cents bunch.
To 20 back to the consideration Of
trans Atlantic commerce. it is confident
.ly eSpected by the Post-office Depart
ment that at no distant day there will
be ocean steamships of mOderate-size
equipped and fitted up to carry nothing
but the mails-veritable floating post-of-
fees; with a uniformed staff of employees.
Already on some of the huge liners the
postal personnel comprises as many as
eight clerks. half this numoer repre-
sentinC each of the countries between
which the vessel makes its voyages.
The biggest task, where Christmas
m ha nj aI