Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1918-04-05
DON'T SEND PARCELS
TO BOYS IN FRANCE
Post Office Department VIII Not For
ward Anything Unless 1t is Abso-
lutely Required by Soldiers

April /, 1918, parcels for members
and individuals connected with the
American Expeditionary Forces in
Europe shall not be accepted for
mailing or dispatched unless they
contain such articles only as are be-
ing sent at the written request of the
addressee, approved by his regiment
al or higher commander or an execu-
tive officer of the organization with
which he is connected"
The necessity for this order is ex-
planned in the following statement
published in the Official Bulletin of
! the government:
The Post Office Department has is
sued statement indicating the char
| acter of palatible and dainty things
usually sent by parcel post to our
| boys in France which can be pur-
| chased in France at as low or lower
| prices as they can be had in this
country.
What are you sending by parcel
post to the boys in France? asks the
| department If it is cookies, candies,
or canned goods, bear in bind that
the soldiers of the American Expedi-
tionary Forces can purchase these
things at the Y. NJ. C. A. recreation
centers, or canteens in France, as
cheaply as they can be had here
Biscuits and Crackers
Various sorts of biscuits and
crackers. such as are commonly sold
in the stores here, may be bought
from the Y. NJ. c. A in France at
prices ranging from Il cents to 23
cents a package, only one sort of bis
cult being sold as high as SO cents
Most of these goods are 9A or 1915
cents.
Candies sell for from 3 V cents to
SO cents Canned fruits range in
price from 28h to 34b cents.
Chewing gums are 4A cents per
package.
In the way of smokes, there are
% varieties of cigarettes, from Pail
Mall to Sweet Caporal
There are seven varieties of jams,
besides seven kinds of soft drinks,
from grape juice to tea.
The list of things which the boys
in France can purchase at these rec
reation centers may be summarized
as follows:
Biscuits, books, brushes, bouillion,
candies, candles, canned goods, holt
day cards, chewing gum, chocolate
cigarettes, cigars, combs, dental
creams, various soft drinks, flash
lights, fruit, handkerchiefs, heaters,
jam, knives, leather goods, matted
milk, condensed milk, evaporated
milk, mirrors, nuts, pencils, pipes,
razors. shoe polish, shoe laces, soap,
sponges, tobacco, towels, and woollen
gloves.
The attention of the public is
called to the fact that every pound
and every ton of parcel post which is
which can be bought by the soldiers
in France, forces off the ships, am
munition and other needed war ma
terials. The immense volume of par
eel post sent to France containing
articles which can be purchased
cheaply by the soldiers in France,
and which are not usually shipped
from the United States but are OBJ
tanned in Europe, principally from
Spain, Switzerland, and Italy, isl
shown by the fact that an investiga-
ton of 5000 sacks of parcel post dis
closed 1874 pounds of candy, 1882
pounds of chocolate. 1927 cakes and
2S3S packages of chewing gum.
During the month of February the
volume of parcel post sent to the
| troops in France occupied 10000
cubic feet of space on the ships This
| would be slice of cargo space 600
| feet long, 20 feet wide, and 10 feet
high. The demand on tonnage of
the railroads in France is so great
that it frequently requires days be-
fore enough cars can be furnished
to move the mail from the port to the
interior of France. The number of
soldiers is to be greatly increased
and the amount of mail and war ma
terial will increase accordingly, and
to meet this condition urgent sug-
gestions are being made to reduce the
size of parcel post packages and to
eliminate a large quantity of parcel
post. In view of this situation, it
becomes the patriotic duty of the
people in this country not to send
to the soldiers in France eatables or
any other character of articles which
can be bought from the army or the
numerous recreation centers that are
established wherever troops are en-
| n p,naI