New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-10-31
CHRISTMAS PACKAGE
FOR THAT Fighter
Rules and Regulations for Send
ing Gifts to Expeditionary Force

lie IOlIoNluS IulSS lOI SSINtihS
Christmas packages to soldiers of the
American EXpeditionary Force have
been promulgated after a series of
conferences by the Adjutant General
of the war Department. the post office
department and the American Red
Cross:
/. The war departm ent auth oriZes
rela of officers and soldiers in
France to send Christmas packages
which will be of standard size and
weight one to each individual in the
American Expeditionary Force.
2. In order to insure the limitation
of one package per man, which in it
self will consume a very large amount
of tonnage, a plan has been worked
out by which General Pershing is
distributing to members of his COM
mand coupons on which are in
scribed the correct names and adj
dresses of the members of the
American Expeditionary Force. Those
labels will serve as address labels for
the packages. The coupons or labels
will be mailed by the memb ers of
the American EHpeditionary Force
direct to the persons they wish to
designate as senders of packages and
no package will be forwarded with
out such a coupon. 1t is expected
that the labels will be received in this
country by November i.
3. On receiving a. Christmas pack
age label the person to whom it has
been sent should present it Il the
nearest chapter branch or auxiliary
headquarters of the Red Cross where
he will receive q pasteboard carton
3x4x9 inches in size. The Red Cross
is to allot boxes to its chapters, based
on the number of men in service from
each community. 1t is expected that
these will be ready for distribution
by November /.
4. Boxes may be filled with any
com animation of articles except those
on the list barred by postal officials.
Prohibited articles are ali intOxicat-
ing liquors, all inf1ammable mater
ial, including friction matches and
any composition likely to ignite or
explode Cigarette lighters come under
this classiication) liquids and fragile
articles improperly packed. Under
postal regulations no note or message
or written matter of any kind will be
permitted to remain in the boxes. In
addition to the list of prohibited
articles, relatives and friends of the
soldiers are urged to bear these facts
in mind when preparing Christmas
parcels:
Do not put anything in the pack
| age which will not keep fresh until
Christmas.
Pack dried fruits and other food
products in small tin or wooden
boxes. Give preference to hard candy
enclosed in heavy wrappers. Soft
chocolates are easily crushed and
may spoil other contents
Do not put articles packed in glass
| in the package.
Gifts should be wrapped in khaki
| colored handkerchiefs 27 inches
| square.
| 5. The weight wrapped should not
exceed three pounds; unwrapped the
! weight may be approximately two
pounds fifteen ounces. Parcels may
bear inscriptions such as please do
not open until Christmas, Merry
| Christmas" Happy New Year.
| With best Wishes. and the like.
| s. When the box is packed 1t
! should be taken unwrapped and un-
| sealed to the nearest collection center
| indicated by the Red Cross, together
with the address label and sufficient
| stamps to carry it by parcel post to
| Hoboken, New jersey. After the
! package has passed the inspection of
| Red Cross representatives as to con-
tents and weight and has been
| wrapped in stout paper, the Christ
| mas label bearing the address of the
| man for whom it is intended is
| placed on it. The person sending the
! package in the presence of the Red
| Cross worker is required to affix the
stamps which will carry it to Ho-
| boken. label certifying that in
| spection has been completed by the
Red Cross is placed on the package
which is left in the custody of the
| Red Cross until delivery to the postal
| authorities
| Z. No package will be accepted
| for transmittal after November
goth.
question has been raised con-
| corning the sending of Christmas
| packages to men in the service who
| have no relatives or friends to whom
they wish to send these coupons II
| was suggested that such men send
| their coupons to the Red Cross which
| in turn would give American citizens
| "lthout relatives overseas an oppor-
| tun1ty to contribute to Christmas
, boxes In this matter the Red Cross
has ruled as follows with the con-
| currence of the war depa rtn emit:
This has been discussed with a
i member of the war council and very
| carefully considered from all points
| of view and it is believed that it
| would be practicable to undertake
| the collection and distribution of
these parcels. In the first place
there is no way Of estimating the
number of such parcels that would be
| required 1t has been suggested that
the parcels contributed by the Rcd