Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1918-09-10
TO SPEED UP
SOLDIERS MAIL
Arrangements Being Made For Ameri.
can Service Men To Receive Let
ters From Home In Weeks

ters From Home In Weeks
Army postal officials are endeavor-
ing TO work out plans. which. if sue
cessful, will enable American soldiers
in the front line trenches TO receive
their letters from home within three
weeks after mailing.
Captain Frank E. Frazier. assistant
director of the American Expedition
AIRY Forces Postal Service in France,
has returned TO the United States 10
put into effect plans for expediting
the delivery of American mail TO the
soldiers in France. He said today:
with what has been done or is now
being done to insure the prompt de-
livery of mail, there should be no oc-
casion for delay or nondelivery of let
ters to our soldiers in France If those
writing them from home will realize
that the slightest inaccuracy or OBJ
security in the address of a letter is
almost certain to cause delay and may
result in nondelivery"
One million letters arrive in France
every day addressed to members of
the American Expeditionary Forces.
according to an estimate of the mill
tary postal authorities
Steps taken to expedite mail from
the United States to France, accord
ing TO the statement, include the
turning over of complete military in
formation as TO the location of troops
in France by the military authorities
to the military and domestic postal
officers; the assurance or orders send
ing mail on every ship destined for
any port in France organized to re-
ceive mail; and the adoption of
scheme of designation for groups of
unattached soldiers sent from the
United States to replacement camps
in France.
"A complete postal system corre-
spending to that in the United
States is now in operation in France,
with central postoffice located at
Tours" the statement continues.
"This service, except the distribution
and dispatch of mails to the United
States, is entirely under military con-
troll
I'm view of the duplication of
names in the American Expedition
airy Forces, the absence of any dis
tinguished designation for groups of
casual or replacement men has been
a source of difficulty in the delivery
of mail. Thousands of soldiers are
being sent to France every month
from this country for replacement pur-
poses 1t is estimated that 100000
letters a month were delayed from
this cause. This delay in delivery
will not occur under arrangements
which have just been made to have
each replacement unit of $50 men, as
ii leaves camp in the United States,
given a distinctive company number
which it will retain until it reaches
replacement camp in France. Every
member of such unit will then be one
of $50 men instead of one of one and
half million men.
'The matter of the address to in
sure prompt delivery is of vital i'm
portance. The misspelling of a name
or the use of initials where word
should be spelled out may not only
retart the delivery of letter but may
prevent its heing delivered at all.
Many thousands of letters are being
constantly received which cannot be
promptly delivered, if delivered at all,
on account of the manner in which
thav ara addressed"
A letter for an American soldier in
Europe should be so addressed as to
show his rank, his full name, inciud-
ing his middle name, his company or
battery and his regiment, as well as
the branch of service. A letter to
"John Walter Smith, Jr.," private
in Company l.; the address OF the
sender to appear in the uper left
hand corner of the envelope:
Return to
Mrs. John Walter Smith, (Stamp)
- Street,
Boston, Mass.
Private John Walter Smith, Jr.,
Co. l., 102d Infantry,