New-York tribune., 1918-09-08
Delay II, Delivery
OF Soldiers Mail
Is Explained Here
Three Weeks Journey Is
an Exceptional Case,
Captain Frazier Says

Captain Frank f. Frazier. assistant
director of the American Expedition
hry Forces postal service nt Tours,
who is in this country to eliminate de-
lays in soldiers mail, authorized
statement yesterday in which he emu
merated the chief cause Of delay.
If letter takes moro than three
weeks to travel between home and
front line, he says, it is an exceptional
case. With an average of 100000 let
diers at French ports, and with the
military mails handling also some 30O,-
900 pieces a day mailed in France for
soldiers, even the exceptional cases
may form by themselves considerable
number, and to reduce them to the
minimum Captain Frazier recommends
greater care in addressing soldiers
mail, submitting the following as q
standard model
Return to
Mrs. John Walter Smith, (Stamp)
......... Street,
Boston, Mass.
Private John Walter Smith, jr,
Co. l., 102d Infantry,
American T.. f.
Via N. Y.
The mail of more than $4,000 SOL
diers is delayed. according to Captain
Frazier; somo of it, perhaps, never
may be delivered. and "the reason for
this is." he says, chat letters for a
greater number than $4,000, in the ag-
gregate, are improperly or made
quately Addressed"
Letters Sent Too Late
Aside from mistakes in addressing
letters only two causes OF delay orig
mating on this side of the Atlantic
have been found One is the posting
of letter lust after transport sail
ing, in which case week might elapse
before another sailing.
ut is estimated," says Captain Fra
zler, that 100000 letters month were
delayed from this cause. This delay
in delivery will not occur under Or
rangements which have just been made
to have each replacement unit of 25O
men or less as it leaves camp in the
United States given a distinctive COM
pany number, which it will retain until
1t reaches a replacement camp in
France. Every member Of such unit
will then be one of $50 men instead
Of one Of 100000"
directory section of the army post
Office has been established at every re-
placement camp to forward mail to SOL
diers sent on to army units. The central
army post office is at Tours. France
n fol
districts, each in charge of an army
officer who formerly was postal Off
clal. Permanent postoffices are nu-
merous, and there are mobile post
Offices, each with a complement cor
responding to that of q postoffice in
city Of 10000 population which link
up the permanent postoffices with the
front line. Hospitals supply the CEN
trail Office with the names Of all SOL
diers long enough in the institution
to qualify it as q postal address for
him.
Mail Hurried to Wounded
every care is taken in expediting
the mail for wounded men in hospi-
tails" says Captain Frazier "The only
delay in the delivery of such mail is
that which is absolutely unavoidable. I"
Secret movement of troops in force
may cause mail delay Of as much as
a week, Captain Frazier says, as the
safety Of the troons depends unon the
maintenance of secrecy as to their stu
alton and destination. If sustained ac-
tion follows which halts train service
there may be an additional delay of n
few days. Shortage of cars, due per-
haps to extraordinary demands upon
the supply service, may mean a delay
Of twenty-four hours or more in the
military mails, but normally it takes
only two or three days for the new
military postoffice to deliver letter to
any individual soldier.
One of the most puzzlng things. to
the pubic: says Captain Frazier. "has
been the frequent occurrence. both as
to mail delivered in France and mail