The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-29
OVER
SOLDIERS MAIL
Congressman Favor Sweep
ing Inquiry as a Flood of
Complaints Pour In
ARMY OFFICERS
ARE CRITICISED
Tons of Sacks Not Distributed, 1t Is
Alleged, Because They Do Not Co
Operate-Letters Help to Keep Up
Morale of Troops.

WASHINGTON, April 29.-Inade
quacv in the mail service to American
soldiers in France is becoming an i'm
portant question, through thousands OF
complaints that mail is delayed from
two to three months in reaching the
fighting forces abroad. An investlga-
ton has been undertaken by the house
committee on expenditures IN the post
office department, and it is alleged that
this has shown conditions the exposure
of which was averted only by the re
cent transfer Of the inquiry TO the
committee on postoffiee and post roads.
The last named committee, while not
showing any disposition to conceal the
situation, had hoped by calling the at
tention of President Wilson TO the
| matter to have the abuses corrected
without publicity.
Nothing else has arisen i'll this war
which has caused members of congress
so much ANNOYANCE. Letters keep com
ing to them from mothers and relatives
of soldiers that mail sent early this
year has not reached the men IN France
These complaints are now increasing
as the number of soldiers III France
grows larger. and despite protests made
TO the postohice and war department
apparently nothing has been done u
better conditions.
4 L lnA ~
service was not improved within a yer,
short time il would be necessary 70
congress TO act in a drastic way. Sew
eral weeks ago those who were mos
familiar with the problem hoped TO IN
duce President Wilson to take step
which would have corrected the abuses
Mr.. Wilson was so impressed with tn
necessity of supplying soldiers wit
mail from home and doing it prompt,
that he had cable message sent +
Secretary Baker, then in France, t
bring about remedies at once.
Conditions have not improved sine
then, and il has now been determine
by members of congress to begin
thorough investigation, and present t
the American public all the facts, an
expose those responsible for the dc
| layed mails. The inquiry was actual
; begun quietly by Representatives job
: j. Rogers and A. T. Treadwav of Mas
: sachusctts in the early days of thi
: session of congress- While in Franc
they learned from soldiers that tn
; mail service was totally inadequate
: that it required from four to six week
to get letters from home and that hig
American officers were doing nothin
= to aid the postal authorities in deliver
ing the mail when il reached camps IN
headquarters On their representa
tions and in response 10 other con
: plants, Representative Martin Made
g of Illinois, member Of the house con
5 mittee ON postoflices and post road
q became interested and he went tho
oughly into the subject.
: As the result of the inquiry of til
II house committee on expenditures in til
v postotiice department, some congress
!, men are asserting that these outstan,
> ing conditions were found:
5, That mail does not reach the so
diers in France with any regularity.
/; That tons of mail are undelivere
/ after being dumped into camps an
headquarters by the American post
authorities.
That the army officers are indifferel
to the delivery of mail, and do not c
+, operate with the postal officials in al
way either here or abroad.
That two to three months are requir,
n frequently for the delivery of Ii
K tiers to the soldiers in France.
a That when Secretary Baker. on t
n request Of President Wilson, invest
/ gated the delays, nothing was done
remedy the abuses.
That some commanding officers of t
oe American forces regard the delivery
mail to soldiers as of little cons