The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-12-15
wordIess Tales Made Known
To PostCffice Clerks
DARkEN YULETIDE DAYS
Silent Mourners Send Money.
TO Loved Ones, Hoping To
Alleviate Suffering
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l
From Mondays Daily.

solemn faces, waiting in line these
days all over the United States be-
lore poStoffice windows where foreign
money orders are issued, tell word
less story of the sorrows of wars de-
struction reaching across the seas tC
America. A third Christmas time OF
world conflict has seen long lines OF
happy folk, radiant with holiday spirit
tat the prospect of sending something
home to the old folks turned into 81
lent parties OF mourners, sending
back money to alleviate suffering and
filled with anxiety and distress with
the uncertainty of its safe arrival
There is also the grave uncertainty
that when gift reaches it's destina-
ton no one will be there to receive it.
Clerks Note the Change.
Postal clerks have been quick to
note the change. Veterans in the
service who have been issuing Christ
mas money orders to all parts of the
globe for years say they no longer
hear eagerly told stories of the gifts
the money was to buy. They hear
only hopes that it may arrive safely
to provide food, clothing and fire or
perhaps medicine. The line is little
shorter and the people average much
older this year than formerly It's
decreased numbers is attributed to
the fact that the government, despite
determined efforts, is unable to
guarantee safe and speedy delivery
of money orders in the war zone. Old
age has taken its place in line because
the sons of many are across the seas
on the fighting fronts.
Will Act as Santa.
Through the postal money order
department the United States will be
Santa Claus to far more people of the
entente allies than of the central
powers this year. Delivery of orders
in England and France have been in
'terfered with only slightly. No de-
livery is made in Austria, and Ger
man points receive their orders late,
If indeed, they get them at all. Vir-
tually no orders are being sent to
Russia, largely because Warsaw,
which was the central station for the
payment of orders, now is in the war
zone. This situation has affected the
money order receipts in this country
greatly, too, for in former years Rus
slams in the United States led all the
remaining foreign born citizens in
sending home money at Christmas
time.
Prisoners of war will receive many
money orders this Christmas. This
is particularly true in England, where
delivery is good. BY an agreement
made several years ago in a conven
Lon of various countries to effect
postal agreement, it was arranged
that orders to prisoners of war should
be transmitted free of charge, and
the United States is living up to the
agreement scrupulously.
The Submarine Activities.
Submarine activities have much to
do with decreasing the Christmas
business in foreign orders, and if the
total for this year falls below that OF
1915 as it probably will, the under
seas liners can be blamed for much
of the decrease, according to Third
Assistant Postmaster General Dock
cry. "Of course it is impossible to
say just how much the submarine ac-
INVITES have affected the money or
Ser business" he said, "but they
have cut it down much" Due to this
and other causes, the foreign money
order business is in a chaotic state.
1t began to fall off with the beginning
of the war, and has decreased gradu-
ally ever since.
Cause of Decrease.
81 attribute it's decrease in great
measure also to many young men
from the foreign countries returning
home to fight at the outbreak of the
war. OF course they, prior to their
departure, were regular patrons, for
few of them did not send money home
at Christmas time particularly, and
often during other periods of the
year. The older people, who are
left behind, have less money to send"
With delivery in Italy and Greece
comparatively safe, natives of those
countries are leading all the rest this
Christmas in sending money home.
Always a liberal people at Christmas
time and firm believers in this gov
eminent as the postal savings ac-
counts also show, they are literally
sending ''tons of money" back home
Their sums vary from S. to SIS,
postal employees say.
Encourages Christmas Sending.
Inc pOSldl department. ID uSiIiS
every effort to encourage Christmas
sending, although no false hopes of
quick delivery are held out. Supple
mental instructions are printed in
virtually every language, including
Chinese and Japanese, on how to
make out a money order, and they
have been found very useful. The
Chinese Christmas, of course, does
not fall on the same day it does in
this country, but the Chinese are in
clined to make presents during the
American holidays as well as their
own. Norway, Sweden and Denmark
come in for good share of the
Christmas money orders. Most of
their former citizens in this country
appear prosperous. it is declared, and
hey are liberal at holiday times.
Where Business is Suspended.
Many porsons who desired to send
holiday remembrances to friends in
Belgium, Egypt, Mexico and Portugal,
as well as Austria, have been sur
prised to learn, recently, that money
order business has been suspended,
owing to the fact the United States
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