New Britain herald., 1917-07-18
POST OFFICE FOR
SOLDIERS IN FRANCE
Pershings Men Go Into Intensive
Training for Firing Line


enable men to mail letters either home
or to anyother point in the world, to
keep in constant communication with
friends without revealing their exact
address by the tell-tale cancellation
mark on envelopes, and to receive
mail from families or friends who do
not know what the destination of their
letters may be. The system naturally
will be enlarged to fit needs.
At present 1t consists of in requiring
of each soldier or officer that he ad-
dress his communications of every
nature from the American training
camp and deposit them in a special
post office from where they will be
taken by pouch to Paris and mailed in
the ordinary way.
How to Address Mail,
All return mail should be addressed
to the training camp of the Ameri-
can exped1tlonary forces, Paris,
whence it will be forwarded to the
proper address,
When the troops deft their base
they took with them surplus supplies
which are now being turned back to
the quartermasters department head
quarters for redistribution so that
there will soon be more than enough
Of such things as tobacco and similar
little luxuries which have been some
what scarce among some troops and
sections. Each succeeding day brings
a better degree of order and system
out Of the inevitable confusion atten-
dant upon moving a large body of
troops.
Ofifficers' Bi1lets
officers who billeted among the in
habitants are still billeting at the
moderate prices that prevail for the
majority. They may by request pay
one franc daily for quarters and, pro-
vided they eat a hotel expend seven
francs daily for food Prices are thus
kept low to prevent a repetition of
events early in the war, when allied
troops in French territory, accus-
toned to city prices, all but spoiled
the French population by paying what
seemed to them moderate but really
were enorm Gus rates for everything.
Thetroops have been here for less
than a week-they are not all here by
any means-and they have already
made themselves thoroughly at home,
so much so that this section of France
looks like a little bit of America.
tended visit to the encompments this
morning and found the men fit and in
good spirits aud full of praise for the
friendly cooperation of the French
people, who have gladly given up
many of their own comforts to ac-
commodate all the Americans who
have arrived, and so the countryside
is dotted with newly erected barracks
that heve sprung up over night, and
make even more picturesque this
beautiful neighborhood
Training Is Intensive.
An even more strenuous course Of
training is in force here than at the
original camp near the landing point
of the troops. The men work mini
mum of eight hours daily. The Off
GERS have twelve to sixteen. In addi
ton, they take tremendous hikes to
get into condition. Here and there
one falls by the wayside by the exer-
ton, but the majority are standing
the gait in a way that speaks volumes
for the efficiency of the system.
Plans are rapidly developing for
regular and constant training in CO.
operation with the French troops en-
camped in this district whose long ex-
perience has been placed at the dis
posal of the newcomers. The French
and American headquarters are in the
same building, and there is constant
cooperation between the two forces,
which will seen be so developed
that the Americans not only will have
guidance and instruction from French
officers, but virtually there will be as
experienced and trained mentor for
each trooper They will be willing
mentors, too, for the French are so
enthusiastic about the Americans that
they even march about. with American
flags attached to their bayonets.
Pure Water Needed.
Water is abundant here, but UNI per-
tain as to purity, SO the troops are
adopting filtering methods by means
of bags suspended from tri-poles.
which astonish the local inha bitants
almost as much as the Americans in
explicable thirst for water. which is
unknown to wine drinkers many of
whom seldom touch water.
A task which the army has taken
upon itself is the clearing up of the
entire countryside, and at the present
pace the whole district will soon look
like we'll ordered garden. Such
prisoners as are under arrest for
minor mira ctions of the regulations
are employed each morning in making
headquarters spotless, and are bring
ing such degree of orderliness into
the place that the original residents
are amazed. Likewise they find it
difficult to understand why the soldiers
take so many baths, for the men make
for the nearest stream and dive in as
soon as they ar eat liberty.
The presence of the soldiers here
has naturally introduced many novel
ties, but probably none is more well
come tran the daily evening concert,
which attracts people from far around,
people chiefly who have never heard
liNelN American music: who have been