The midland journal., 1917-11-02
Department. in Charge Of Sc
Iected Men Who Volunteered
Their Services.
ESTABLISH Two TERMINALS
New York and Chicago Distributing
Points, Where Uncle Sam Sorts
and Labels Mail to Vari.
GUS Points.

facilitate the prompt handling of mail
between this country and Uncle
Sans expeditionary forces in France,
and the work has been accomplished
with remark able speed.
Postmaster General Burleson real
ICES that to "the boys at the front"
letter from home means much, and
that the coming and going of this
mail is a matter of watchful anxiety
on the part of the folks at home.
Nearly every family in America. is
interested to know how letters and
parcels are dispatched to the expedi-
tionary forces, and whether every par
ticular individual soldier, who is the
object of home affection and anxiety,
will be promptly found by the "letter
carrier" among the thousands who
may be located at unnamed places in
France.
The United States post Office went
to Europe in advance of the expedi-
tionary forces. A postal agent was
appointed for duty in France and a
force was sent with him to provides for
the opening Of post offices as rapidly
as the needs of the army might re-
Quire. He was accompanied by COM
ll4ittee Of postal officials. The ten
highest men in each railway division,
tine money order, registry and other
specialized branches, who volunteered
for this service were selected by the
department for the French service. A
number of these officials sacrificed
| higher pay at home than they would re-
ceive for their services abroad, in their
patriotic response to the call of spe-
cial duty.
The ''first United States post Office
il France" is now operating in Paris,
having comfortable. quarters and thor
ough equipment.
Use Experts Who Volunteered.
The postal force is from time to
| time, us the needs of the service re-
tjuire, being provided with experienced
POSTAL distributors, and stamp and
money order clerks, who are selected
from among the most expert in the
postal service of this country who vol
nnteer their services. Additional post
offices have been established as rap
/ lily as required. There are now in
France six branch postal agencies or
divisional offices handling the mail to
and from the soldiers, selling stamps
and issuing money orders. Whenever
he necessity has arisen for an addi-
tional branch post office or station it
has been provided and in working Or
y % 40 NJ
meet the requirement Of additional
service an organization has been
worked out in advance so that num-
Der of men are regularly on hand be-
ing trained at the post offices already
established so as to familiarize them
with the work.
Immediately upon the first contin-
gent of the American troops being Or
dered to France arrangements were
made for a distributing center at New
York, where the mails are distributed
by regiments, companies, etc., so that
upon their receipt in France they may
be promptly dispatched to the proper
military or other organization, some
of which are widely scattered, and
| uClLNSIcu W 'llLC SOlOlSAS WlIhOuL oC-
lay. There is no delay in the delivery
of mail to the Americans serving in
France whether belonging to the expe-
ditionary forces or to other Crganiza-
tions, if properly addressed.
The department has frequently re-
minded the public that the mail ad-
dressed to members of the expedition
AIRY forces should designate the divis-
ion, the regiment, the company, and
| the organization to which the address
es belongs-as "John Smith, Jr., Com
pany X Infantry (Giving the num-
ber of the Infantry, American Expedi-
tionary Forces" The letter or parcel
should also bear the return address
of the sender, and be properly stamped.
The limit of weight for a parcel is 20
pounds.
Two Military Terminals.
The method of handling the mail for
the expeditionary forces is to forward
to the central distributing point at New
York in the Grand Central Terminal all
matter mailed east of the Mississippi;
and to the military terminal point on
Wabash avenue, Chicago, matter
mailed west of the Mississippi. At
these two distributing points the mail
is sorted and labeled to each of the
units and dispatched by the first avail
able steamer.
Letters originating with American
troops in France are censored by the
American authorities at regimental
headquarters and after being passed
are turned over to the postal author
itics to be dispatched to the United
States. Unpaid letters from soldiers
in France upon their receipt in the
United States have been taxed at a
single rate. and the postage collected
from those TO whom the mail is deliv-
cred, but by the provisions of the war
|