The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
FREDERIC ]. HASKIN, Director.
Washington. D. c.
MAIL FOR SOLDIERS.
Washington, D. c.

! latest cook, or the unpleasant neigh
bors who moved in next door; but
funny interesting letters with the lat
est news from home that will keep
him from worrying and cheer him up
for days. NThis. in effect, is the advice
of the war department.
A glance at the mail of any one of
our large environments would indi-
cate that this advice is scarcely need
ed, for approximately 10000 letters
are sent and received a day at each of
the division camp postoffices. Besides
this heavy correspondence, from ten to
fifteen tons of packages are handled
in day in one of these camps The
total for a camp of about forty thou
| sand men is equal to the business of
the postoffice in Pittsburgh or Balti-
more. cities of nearly six hundred
thousand population.
In spite of this proof that our SOL
diers are not being forgotten friends
and relatives are constantly being
urged by the postoffice and war de-
partments, by officers and correspon-
dents abroad to keep in touch with the
enlisted men. especially when he
leaves for France.
One of our generals at the front
says. Nothing keeps the boys in good
spirits like letters from home. If ev-
cry boy could get two letters a week,
the army discipline question would be
l.settled."
There is report in circulation that
soldiers. abroad can mail only one let
ter week. This statement is unfound-
Il ed. A soldier abroad can write home
as often as he will. The Y. M. c. A.
makes writing home as easy as pos
sible for the man in service. Paper,
pen, ink-everything except ideas are
furnished in the w huts which fol-,
low the soldier to the firing line.
The most important factor about
letter or package to soldier is the
address. The full name, company and
regiment of the man addressed should
always be given, followed by the name
and location of his camp or the words
American Expeditionary Forces" as
the case may demand. American Ex-
peditionary Forces should always be
spelled in full as A. E. F. may be
taken to mean Australian Expedition
airy Forces. The sender is also ad-
vised to avoid other abbrevi>tions and
initials in the address, to write clearly
and in ink, and to place his own full
name and address in the upper left
hand corner of the envelope. En-
velopes and wrapping paper of good
quality should be used, especially if
the mail is going overseas, as cheap
paper tears easily and does not, retain
the address SO clearly.
All these instructions have been
printed many times and posted
in conspicuous places. Yet thousands
of letters incompletely addressed are
sent out trustfully to the soldiers every
day. Some of these finally reach the
addressee after much trouble and de-
lay to the government Those not de-
1iverab1e which bear the sender's ad-
dress are returned. But many unfor-
tunate epistles and gifts can neither
be sent on nor returned and these find
lodging in the dead letter office. Some
Of the lost packages have been turned
over to the Red Cross or military hos
pitfalls for use by i'll and wounded SOL
diers and sailors.
The bulk of mail properly addressed
reaches the soldier in this country
of overseas mail gets to France for
delivery in seventeen days after leav-
ing Chicago or New York. Thirty
days should, however, be allowed as
the approximate time needed to send
a letter to a soldier abroad. Delays in
delivery abroad may be due to any of
a number of possible causes. Mail is
dispatched once or twice q week ac-
cording to sailings. Thus a letter may
. be held up from three>to seven days
in waiting for a steamer or transport.
Then it may. be sent on steamer
taking twenty-one days to cross, in
I stead of one taking twelve days. or 4
French liner taking only ten days
When it reaches port, it may be car
ried Immediately or it my be held sew
to handle mail.
When we opened the postal service
in France. any part of the American
lines could be reached in two days;
now It takes three. and will probably
take six to distribute mail to the far
thest American lines. If the soldier
is away from his company on detached
duty or has been transferred to an
, other organization, his mail must go to
: General Pershings headquarters to be
, readdressed. In these and other ways
letters may be delayed in reaching
, their destination even If addressed
, fully This should be kept in mind by
, the sender who expects an answer In
two weeks and is anxious because
john writes that he does not hear
s from home often enough. A dozen OF
/ Johns letters may reach him all al
= once.
1t costs the government 100000 g
! month to maintain the postal service
for soldiers in France alone. 1t is ex-
3 pected and desired that friends and
: relatives write to the men abroad, but
the generosity and 1avishness OF
America made the problem OF gift:
for soldiers overseas desperate one
= Thousa ndS of tons of packages load
Q ed down the transports and crowded
= out guns soldiers and rations.4~ A
:. Christmas time no limitations were
q attempted. The postoffice department
accepted CneeTIulIy Lne reSpOHSlDlllt.
r of ninety-four cargoes of presents AND
delivered ninety of the ninety-foul
on Christmas Eve and Christina.
S morning. But after the christina
J rush, when sympathetic friends insist
e ed on sending chewing gum and cand:
across in the delusion that France die
not produce such articles, che war de
partment requested the postof1cef de
= partment to ask the public to ratrench
= The result was the order Issued thi
>, spring to the effect that no packages
can be mailed to forces overseas ex
= cept those accompanied by specific
= request for the article enclosed. writ
~ ten by the man to whom the packag
- is, addressed. and approved by an of
u ficer of rank not lower than that .
d major. This ruling. designed 20 GU
: down the sending of unnecessary gifts
! laas AZ. -. =.I- l. i=... -