The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-01
HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS
REGARDING CHRISTMAS
PARCELS

Assistant Postmaster E. E. San
ford contributes the following inter-
esting article for the benefit Of those
contemplating sending Christmas
packages through the mails:
Next in importance and indeed Of
equal Importance to having a parcel
arrive in time for Christmas is to
have it arrive in as good condition
as when it is mailed. Very few
parcels are damaged in transit If
they are properly packed and secure
ly tied when mailed. Observation
on the part of government employees
has been very clos, in this par
ticular and the regulations prescribe
, the exact manner Ia which fragile
articles. liquids, fruits and other
merchandise nuts be packed and an
earnest effort to corply with these
Instructions will almost invariably
result in your parcel reaching its
destination in good order.
In preparing an article for mailing
do not wrap in haphazardly and
with just any piece Of paper which
comes to hand but set good strong
paper which will not tear easily
and in tying the string on a parcel
tie l. in such shape that it will
lie impossible for it to be removed
unless cut or united. Many percels
are lost or damaged because the
>tring is tied too loosely and comes
off the end of the parcel resulting
IN the wrapper comilg off and with
it tie address and when address ard
contents become separated the
chances for the parce, reaching des-
tination in good CIDER are very
slim. Also when You get your par
eel tied up properly it is good idea
to endorse on the cover the contents.
DO not simply write ''Mdse" on the
cover for this Is very vague way
of determining the ~xact nature of
the contents and different kinds of
merchandise require different kinds
Lt packing. For Instance a parcel
containing fruit going a greater dis
tance than $50 miles must be packed
in a wooden box( and if going less
distarce must be in d strong enough
pasteboard to reasonably insure its
arrival in good condition) a bottle of
liquii must invariably be packed in
wooden box and the bottle or con-
taincr must be packed in cotton or
other absOrbant mat>.ial in sufficient
quantity to entirely absorb the liq-
,id il it should escape from the bot
tie. A hat must be shipped in a
double corrugated rnsteboard box or
if an ordinary hat box is used it must
lie reinforced with a wooden crate
around 1t. DO not pre- ent a parcel
for mailing with the statement that
if it is not properly sacked you will
take the risk for the risk is not
yours after you have mailed it and
! clerks are instructed not to take
parcels unless they are properly
packed for the ris. Is that OF the
postofice department ana should
| \ our parcel of fruit become damaged
| it Il rot the very small amount OF
damage which that parcel would
iusta that matters SO much but
the other parcels wl,;ch might be ir
I;ne same sack mi hi become dam
aged and cause serip is loss and it is
ror this reason that clerks are in
| structed to insist o, proper packing
Of parcels. A furtrcr requirement
| Is that each an. every parcel post
package must have the name and
address of sender v,'tten on the
wrapper preceded by the word
'Frorn." DO not overlook this as it
will mean delay 1T the posto!!ice
window when the Lrrcpl is presert"d
Tor mailin2.
A further article will deal with
the insurance OF th' parcels post
Sys TEN and some Information re-
lgarding the manner in which the
| Christmas mails will be handled by
| he local office.
BE sure and mail ,our parcel on
time properly packet fully address
cd ana bearing NAM and address of
sender.