The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1917-11-23
Can STILL SEND
GIFTS TO FRANCE
Those Wishing to Send Christ
mas Packages to Soldiers
Have Last Chance.
LAST SHIP TO SAIL DEC. S
Post Office Department Calls Atten-
tion to Fact That Parcel Post
May BE Utilized Through
out the Year.

Washington.-In order to remove
any misunderstanding that may exist
regarding the rules governing the
sending of parcels to the members of
the American expeditionary forces In
France, Otto Praeger, second assist
ant postmaster general has issued the
following statement on the subject:
Parcel post for soldiers and civilians
connected with the American Expedition
airy Forces in France. when carefully
packed and properly addressed Will be
accepted by all postmasters for direct
transmission through the mails, Such
parcels may weigh up to seven pounds
Parcels for the soldiers and civilians
connected with the American Expedi-
tionary FORCES may contain anything
that is admissible to the domestic par
eel post except perishables which may
spoil on the long journey to Europe.
Parcel post for the American Expe
dictionary Forces need not be packed in
wooden boxes but should be carefully
packed in the strongest kind of paste
board box to assure ITS safe arrival at
the front
In addition to this parcel post service
to the troops, the war department Will
undertake to carry Christmas parcels
for the American Expeditionary Forces
provided such parcels are sent care
the Commanding General Port of EN-
barkation Pier I. Hoboken, New Jer-
sey." and are packed in wooden boxes
not more than two cubic feet in volume,
well strapped and with n hinged or
screw top Such Christmas boxes may
be sent to the Commanding Officer. Port
OF Embarkation. either by express or
through the mails. and must not exceed
90 pounds in weight The army will In
spect the contents OF each box and un-
dertake its delivery from Hoboken TO
the addressee The war department will
receive Christmas packages up to De-
cember 5th.
Parcel Post Limit Seven Pounds.
It will be noted that parcels weigh
ing seven pounds but no more can be
sant through the post Office department
all the way to France.
The twenty-pound parcels which are
intended for Christmas gifts and when
are to he delivered on Christmas day
are sent by the war department from
its port of embarkation. at Hoboken.
N. J. These parcels. which must not
exceed twenty pounds In weight, can
be sent to the address given in Hobo
ken in any way that the sender
| chooses.
OF course the post office department
has been handling the smaller Christ
| mas packages all the way through 10
France, but in order to insure their de-
livery on Christmas morning 1t was
necessary to mail them by November
IS. However, the fact that the mailing
was too late for delivery on Christ
mas day does not mean that packages
cannot still be sent by parcel post
They can be sent any day in the year
at the rate of IL cents for each pound
sent and this rate holds from what
ever point In the United States the
package is sent.
How Packages Must Be Addressed
Packages for the soldiers must be
addressed to the individual, with bis
company and his regiment and then
must be added the words american
Expeditionary Forces" II is not nee
essary to add the name of the country.
1t will be noted that in the instruc-
lions given above and prepared In the
second assistant postmaster generals
office nothing Is said specifically con-
corning the kind of things which may
be sent to the soldiers and civilians
connected with the expeditiOnary
forces. 1t is perfectly proper to send
sugar, provided it is properly wrapped
The reason sugar Is spoken of here
is because there seems to have been
some misunderstanding about it.
Matches must not be sent in any cir
cumstances. Neither must anything
infiammable, except, of course, ordi-
nary packing material, be included,
nor must there be any chemical or
fresh fruit in the packages. Candy
can go If properly protected from
MASKING up and running other things
In the mail Jars Of fruit properly
sealed and protected against break
age can be sent. Nothing of an ex-
plosive nature must be put into the
parcels.
It is necessary that the parcel post
packages weighing up to seven
pounds shall be wrapped so that the
post office authorities may examine
their contents. The rules for the
packages which the war department
sends are given explicitly in the above
official communication. 1t Is desired
to accentuate the fact that parcels up
TO seven pounds in weight can be sent
by ordinary parcel post at any time OF
the year, but that Christmas boxes
which are to go by the way of the war
department at the address given above
will not be forwarded If they are re-
ceived at Hoboken later than Decem-
Der 5.