The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-07

men instead of one Of one ana half
million men. The John Jones Of the
small unit will be easily located,
Follow Up q Soldier.
At each replacement camp IN
France a directory section Of the
army postoffice has been established,
and mail for a replacement soldier
will hereafter follow him to the unit
to which he IL sent from that camp,
the clerks in the directory section of
the postoffice using the card records
of the statistical division of the camp
commander. It still rests with the
soldier to Immediately notify his cor
respondents as to his correct address,
and with the various cantonments in
the United States to see that mail
addressed to him at the cantonment
is properly endorsed for forwarding
to France. 1t is equally important
for the soldier to notify his CORE
spondents Immediately upon his. as
signment to a definite unit in France.
Delays in the delivery Of mail which
cannot be avoided are liable to occur
at any time during q period OF great
activity and secret movement of
troops. Where the success Of a troop
secrecy, mail cannot be sent to men,
bers of a mobile force until they are
established at the selected destination.
Whatever delay is involved in this,
whether "a hours or several days,
must be accepted as military neces-
sity. The same is true when ship
ments of supplies, munitions, fresh
meat, etc, are such as to make an
xtraordinary demand upon transpor-
tatfon facilities from the French
ports. Such delays. however. are but
for few days at most When a divi-
sional postoffice is moved in cennec-
ton with a big troop movement great
secrecy has to be exercised. No
word, even to the army postal authori-
ties, is permitted concerning the secret
troop movement until the troops have
been located permanently enough to
permit the sending of mail. Under
these conditions weeks delay in the
delivery of mail IL possible.
Every care is taken in expediting
the mail for wounded men in hos
pitfalls. The only delay in the delivery
Of such mail is that which is abso-
lutely unavoidable. A wounded man
may be sent from one hospital to
another and even to several before
reaching a permanent base hospital.
and If detained a day or two at each
Of the hospitals thru which he passes
in transit his mail will be delayed I'm
til he is at a hospital long enough for
it to reach him.
Delay Owing to Space.
One of the most puzzling things to
the public has been the frequent oc-
currence, both as to mail delivered in
France and mail received In this coun-
try, of a letter of a later date being
received before one mailed perhaps
week or more earlier. One explana-
ton of this is that the postmaster at
the port of embarkation has been as
signed by the war department a def
mite limited space for mail. and when
the amount of mail has exceeded this.
the excess has had to be held over
until the next steamr. If there were,
say, 1000 bags ready for shipment
and the postmaster was notified that
only 500 bags could be handled, the
surplus, 1900 bags, would have to lie
over, being included in the mail ac-
cumu1ating for the next steamer.
Such an excess of mail might occur
several times and some of the bags
missing the first mail might also be
among those left over from the sec
ond. This situation will be remedied
by an order from the war department
that, upon proper notice in advance
from the postal officer at the port of
embarkation as to the number Of sacks
to be handled, the entire volume shall
be cleaned up at each sailing.
The possible delay that would be
unavoidable, tho unusual, in the trans
portation of letter from New York
to a divisional postoffice at the front
in France might be 81 days-one day
in distributing in New York: seven
boat: three days on account of short
age of freight cars for carload trans
portation from the port of debarka-
ton in France; seven days on account
of secret troop movements; and, in
case of severe fighting. a foldup of
trains carrying mail of perhaps three
days. This exceptional delay would
increase the normal time OF from
two to three weeks for the delivery of
mail. to from five to six weeks Nor
ma1ly it takes from two to three days
to deliver a letter at the front after
it's arrival at a French port.
Delay that has occurred in the de-
livery in the United States OF soldiers
letters mailed in France is sometimes
due in slight extent to the censor