Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-25

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 21.-One of the
w best ways to get an idea of a mans IS! bust 81
ness is to look over his mornings mall TO
scan the letters he writes and the letters ne re-
ceives. Washington's daily war mail casts an IN.
teresting light on the nature and magnitude OF
various war activities
The Washington city postoffce for months has
had to deal with constantly rising tide of what
is known as penalty mail" This term does not
connote as might appear to the unnitiated, that
the sender is subject to fine and imprisonment
Penalty mail is official mail sent under govern
ment frank, each envelope or package bearing the
phrase Penalty for private use $500
On a typical day, according to Postmaster NJ
o. Chance, the Washington postoffice will receive
and handle 10000 pounds Of outgoing penalty
mail. Some days run far above this mark. The
record was probably established when the treas
ury department on single day mailed 5000 sacks
of Liberty Loan publicity matter, which averaged
100 pounds to the sack.
The Liberty Loan bureau of the treasury is
the heaviest single user of the mails among the
government offices, when Liberty Loan campaigns
are at their height. Besides the Liberty Loan ma
teriaI. the War Savings Stamp matter is mailed
by the treasury Recently for period of ten
days this single item totalled 200 sacks day.
Other offices which call heavily on the
ices of the local postoffce the provost marshal
generals office the adjutant generals office, the
food administration, and the committee public
information Of course, the Importance of a gov
the letters it writes, but the test is fair one
when agencies that work with the public as
whole are considered.
1t is interesting to note that each of these
bureaus which now more intimately con-
nected with the daily life of the American people
than any other government agencies, has only
been established since the declaration of wan and
in some cases much later The only exception
is the adjutant generals office. Most of the thou
sands of sacks of mail matter sent out by this
office go to the various training camps, and deal
with military matters from more or less tech
meal standpoint. The incoming mail addressed to
the adjutant general has increased enormously.
The greater part of it deals with enlistment in
various special branches of the army.
The provost marshal generals mail is
cerned with the selective draft. Ten million ques
tionnaires just distributed to every corner
of the nation through the mails. Their aggregate
weight was 100000. This represents only
fraction of the total mail from this office, for
scores of millions of forms distributed for the
first draft, the first and then the final selective
service regulations sent to all boards, well
frequent additions and cancellations to- the rules
of the draft. The provost marshal general has
sent out many 1900 sacks of mail in
single day, and each sack heavy that it
required two to handle it.
The committee public information publishes
the Official Bulletin, daily account of govern
ment dOings, which has attained a circulation Of
10000 copies a day. Besides this the committee
prepares and publishes a constantly growing