Norwich bulletin., 1918-11-02
CHRISTMAS PACKAGES
 FOR MEN IN SERVICE

The following rules tGr sending Christmas packages to soldiers or the American Expeditionary Force have been promulgated after d series of conferences by the adjutaut general of the war department. the post office department and the American Red Cross:
 l. The war department authorizes relatives of officers and soldiers in 1 France to send Christmas packages, which will be of standard size and weight, one to each individual in the American Expeditionary Force. | :. In order to insure the limitation Of one package per man, whlca Ill it. self will consume a very large amount of tonnage, a plan has been worked ! out by which General Pershine is dis | tributing to members of his r7mmand coupons on which are inscribed the l correct names and addresses of the members ot the American Expedition arN Force. These labels will serve as i ad*ress labels for the packages. The coupons or labels will be mailed by the members of the American Expedition ary Force direct to the persons they i wish to designate as senderS Of pack ages and no package will be forward i cd without such q coupon. It is ex- pacted that the labels will be receiv-
 
 | 3. On receiving a Christmas pack age label the person to whom it has been sent should present it at the ! nearest chapter, branch or auxiliary headquarters of the Red Cross where he will receive a pasteboard carton 3N4X9 inches in size. The Red Cross is to allot boxes to it's chapters, based on the number of men in service from each community. IL is expected that these will be ready for distribution by November l.
 f. Boxes may be filled with any combination of articles except those ou the list barred by postal officials. Pro- hibited articles are all intoxicating li- quors, all inflammable ma aterial, in cluding friction matches and any com- position likely to ignite or explode (Cigarette lighters come under this ciassification), liquids and fragile ar ticles improperly packed Under pos tai regulations no note or message or written matter of any kind will be permitted to remain in the boxes. In addition to the list of prohibited ar ticies, relatives and friends of the sol Giers are urged to bear these facts in mind when preparing Christmas par ccls:
 Do not put anything in the package which will not keep fresh until Christ mas.
 Pack dried fruits and other food pro- ducts in small tin or wooden boxes Give preference to hard candy over chocolates unless the latter are en- closed in heavy wrappers. Sort choco- lates are easily crushed and may spoil other contents.
 Do not put articles packed in glass in the package.
 Gifts should be wrapped in khaki colored handkerchiefs 27 inches square ,. The weight wrapped should not exceed three pounds; unWrapped the weight may be approximately two pounds fifteen ounces. Parcels may bear inscriptions such as Please dc rot open until Christmas" Merry Christmas" Happy New Year" With Best Wishes and the like.
 s. When the box is packed it should be taken linwrapped and unsealed tI , the nearest collection center indicated Ey the Red Cross, together with the address label and sufficient stamps tC carry it by parcel post to Hoboken New Jersey. After the package has passed the inspection of Red Gross representatives as to contents anC , weight and has been wrapped in stou
 paper, the Christmas label bearing the
 address of the man for whom it Is in tended is placed on 1t. The persor l sending the package in the presence O.
 the Red Cross worker is required tC
 affix the stamps which will carry it tC
 Eoboken. A label certifying that in.
 spection has been completed by the Red Cross is placed on the packag,
 which is left in the custody Of thu Red Cross until delivery to the posta t authorities.
 q [. No package will be accepted fo, ' trdnsmittal after November 2Qth.
 A question has been raised concern , ing the sending of Christmas package! . to me min the service who have nc , relatives or friends to whom they wisl a to send these coupons. s It was sug a Sested that such men send their. cou
 pons to the Red Cross. which in turI
 would give American citizens withou
 relatives overseas an oppCdtunity t
 contribute to Christmas boxes. Tn thi l matter the Red Cross has ruled a follows with the concurrence of tn } war department:
 3 This has been discussed with V member of the war council and yer! ! carefully considered from all points O
 view and it is believed that I, woui.
 be impracticable to undertake the col
 lection and distribution of these par
 cels In the first place, there is n e way of estimating the number of sue; ;, parcels that would be required l a has been suggested that the parcel e contributed by the Red Cross mem
 hers for general distribution, might b
 sent only to those soldiers who woul
 turn, back their mailing labels to tn
 Red Cross, but this again would leav ; number of men without the Christ = mas package because many of ther e would not care to use their label i c this way when in the first O1ace fha Ii had no family or friend to whom t
 send it. We have also the feeling tha
 Q Christmas packet containing little o z 1 h