Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-09

EVERY WHINE
with the names of all those under treat
ment, identified by the designation OF tho
unit to which they belong. The central
office is informed also of every removal OF a
soldier from one hospital to another when
in hospital long enough TO establish an
address. A perfect card system is en-
ploycd TO keep track Of all who arc IN
hospitals, and there is no delay in the
delivery of mail unless 1T Is that oi
wounded soldier in transit or 30 slightly
wounded as TO be discharged before
letter could reach him.
The central office Mt Tours ~ IN the
same building and associated with the
Central Record Division OF the Adln-
tant Generals office where Us kept
card-indcx record, up 20 date, OF the where
abouts of every man IN the service,
whether fighting at the front, on detached
duty or in the hospital, or wherever he
may bc.
The mobile postoiIces which arc IN
charge of % men, the equivalent to n
postoilicc for 10000 people, keep night
along with the troops and the mail Tor
each company is received with the rations
company headquarters by the mail order
lv. The postal service extends right into
the fighting trenches. The central post
office at Tours is clearing house for any
mail that cannot he disposed of promptly.
One hundred and fifty men are employed
constantly for nothing but search of adj
dresses, and the superintendent soi this
office rs furnished daily with q record oi
the location of troops.
MILLION LETTERS DAY
II is estimated that million letters per
dav arrive IN France for members of the
American Fxpcditionary Forces There
iz alpo n large volume of mail for soldiers
about third as much rs that from home -
mailed locally IN France In dispatching
mail from the United States, letters are
aent 20 certain ports and other classes OF
mail to another. 40 that letters may IN no
wav intcrfcred with by mail matter Of
less Importance.
Warehouses; have been built At ports Of
deharkation for sorting bags ol mail as
they arc received from the United STATES
On approximately 1000 miles ot rail
roads IN France. American railway mail
service Is now IN operation, and regular
postal cars, IN charge of American soldiers
acting as railway mail clerks arc sent
through from The port Of dcharkation
daily to certain points where permanent
pnstothcCs arC established.
~old,rrs IN the military postal service
have been placed NJ all important juno
| tion points On these lines to net rs transfer
| clerks When boats arrive full carloads
81 hatgs of through mail made up m
| Chicago and New York. addressed -
cnnpa MICS and batteries are sent 10
| destinations IN France ~ charge of a
guard. who returns % the port ~ about
three DAYS
|, a believed that IN making MILITARY
information and military transportation
resources available IN tho dispatch q
mails, tho occasion ior delay IN tho dc.
livery ~ soldiers mail viii hc eliminated.
except rs IL that which Is improperly
addressed The matter Of tho address ta
npurr prompt delivery as ut vital import
aucc The msSpclhuR ot 2 namc or the
usc az INITIALS where . word should he
spelled ont may not only rctard the dc
livery of lcttcr. hut NAV prevent ITS
hciug delivered ~ all MANY thousands
of letters arc hclng constantly received
which canno, hc promptly delivered. #
delivered at all, on account Of tho manner
IN which thcN arc addressed
Duplication ~ names oi officers rs
| vol III soldiers nun lntn the hundreds
/ and IN some eases INTO thousands he
name az tlc soldier addressed should hc
written in full. instead of using initials,
and the branch of the service 10 which the
soldier is attached should bc written in
full with tho designation ot company and
regiment, or battery and regiment as
well as that of tho branch of tho sCrvlcr to
Which h. belongs ThCrc arc machine
! gun companies and machine gun hat
! tahons. entirely different and separate
/ organizations In some of tho cnEIncoI
1 organizations there arc several different
! hattalIons. each battalion having com
! panv designations. the same as companies
/ ii other hat;ahons For these organization
I Il is thercfoc necessary to give both dcsIg
/ nation of the company and the number 81
/ tho battalion. as we'll IS of the regiment
/ 4 majority Of the improperly addressed
/ mail shows carelessncsS rather than 3
I lack of knowledge Of the proper address
RAD ADDRESSING
The War Department has now under
| Amusement. a proposition "a stop al
/ lncompIctciv addressed mail nj New
| \ ork. returning II 10 the sender TIN
would save great deal OF tune and re
hcyc much disappointment and anxiety
With what has been done or is nov
being done. Ia insure the prompt delivery
az mail, there should be no occasion 70
DELAY or non-delivery Of letters to on
soldiers in France. If those writing then
from home will realize that the slghtes
inaccuracv or ohScurIty IN the addres
of letter IS almost certain To cause della,
/ and NAV result III non delivery.
4 letter for an American soldier II
! Europe should be 50 addressed as Il
show his rank. his full name. including hi
middle name, his company or battery am
his regiment. as well as the branch o
service. A letter To John Walter Smith
Jr.." private in Company l., Of th'
l02nd Regiment of Infantry. should b'
addressed as follows the return address
of the sender 10 appear in the upper lcf
hand corner of the envelope
Observation-Disclosures,
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fgTs n