The Alaska citizen., 1916-12-25

| They hear only hopes that 1t may ar rive safely to provide food. clothing and fire. or perhaps medicine.
 The line is a little shorter and the people average much older this year than formerly. It's decreased numbers is attributed to the fact i that the government. despite deter mined efforts. i unable to guarantee ] safe ana speedy delivery of money orders in the war zone. Old age has taken it's place in line because the sons of many are now across the seas on the fighting fronts.
 Through the postal money order department the United States will | be Santa Claus to far more people of the Entente Allie than of the Central powers this year. Delivery )f orders in England and France has been interfered with only slight ly. No delivery Is being made in Austria, and German points receive their orders late, if indeed, they get them at all Virtually no orders are being sent to Russia, largely be cause Warsaw, which was the central station for the payment of order, now is in the war zone. This situa- ton has affected the money order receipts in this country greatly, too, for in former years Russians in the United States led all the remaining foreign born citizens in sending money home at Chri- tmas time.
 Prisoners of war will receive many orders this Christmas. This is par .icularly true in England, where de livery is good. By an agreement made several years ago in a con vention of various countries to eff ect a postal agreement, it was ar -ti4lSotu tlIelI OI IItIS lO pII-OItIS Ol war should be transmitted free of ,harge, and the United States Is living up to the agreement scrupu- lously.
 Submarine activities have had much to do with decreasing the Christmas business in foreign or lers, and if the total for this year all below that for 1915, as it prob. bly, will, the underseas liners can pe blamed for much of the decrease, ccording to Third Assistant Post laster General Cookery.
 "Of course, it is impossible to say just how much the submarine ac- ivitie- have affected the money or Ter business" he said, but they have cut it down much"
 Due to this and other causes, the oreign money order business is in l chaotic state. It began to fall If with the beginning of the war, nd has decreased gradually ever ince
 'I attribute it's decrea in a great leasure also to many young men rom the foreign countries returning Iome to fight at the outbreak of the
 ar. Of course they, prior to their ,eparture, were regular patrons, fo1 CIV of them did not send money lome at Christmas time particularly, nd often during other periods of ne year. The older people, who re left behind, have less money to end"
 With delivery in Italy and Greece comparatively safe, natives of those ountrie. are leading all the rest his Christmas in sending money lome. Always a liberal people at
 hristmas time and firm believers this government, as the postal avings accounts also show, they re literally ending tons of money" ack home now. Their sums vary
 om s5 to $15. postal employees ay.
 The postal department is using very effort to encourage Christmas nding, although no false hopes of U-ck delivery are held out Supple ental instructions are printed in rtually every language. lhcludi1s.. 'h,nese and Japane.e, on low to lake out a money order and they ave been found very useful The
 htn@se Christmas, of course. does ot fall on the same day as it GoeH this country, but the Chinese are lclined to make presents during the lmerican holidays as we'll as their .Wn.
 Norway, Sweden and Denmark one in for good .hare of the
 hristmas money orders. Most ot leir former citizens in this country Dpear prosperous, it is declared, and hey are liberal at holiday times