The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-10-18
REGULATIONS ISSUED
FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
Government Lays Down Strict Rules
About Christmas Packages.

|
tives in this country have just been
completed, following a series of con-
ferences between officials of the War
Department, the Post Office Depart
ment, and the American Red Cross.
Every American soldier in a foreign
land will be permitted to receive one
package containing Christmas gifts
from the United States.
The Navy Department has a sepa-
rate arrangement to enable men in
that branch of the service on duty
abroad to obtain holiday boxes.
Relatives and friends who are
planning to make Christmas for the
soldiers in the war zones os merry as
conditions will permit should bear
in mind that each soldier is entitled
to but one of these packages. The
War Department will not accept
more than one parcel for each man.
The men themselves will decide who
is to send these parcels. They are
now receiving Christmas parcel la
bells, with instructions to mail these
labels to the person in this country
from whom they wish to receive the
holiday box. To avoid any chance of
duplication, each soldier gets but
one of these labels. Packages that
do not bear these labels will not be
accepted. In. the event of this label
being lost, i&hannot be replaced. No
Christmas parcels will be accepted
for shipment after Nov. 20. The card
board boxes, or cartons, to be pro-
vided for these parcels are by by
8 inches in size. When packed,
wrapped, and ready for mailing, the
box must not weigh moro than three
pounds.
The Red Cross hes agreed to pro-
vide the boxes and to supervise their
distribution to relatives of the SOL
dicrs who present the proper Christ
mas parcel label credential. The
distribution of the cartons will be
made by Red Cross branches thru
out the country. 1t will be incum-
bent upon the person receiving one
of these boxes to return it when fill
ed, but unwrapped, to the collection
point designated by the Red Cross.
Here it will be inspected by Red
Cross inspectors authorized to ex-
clude any articles barred by the
postal authorities, after which the
box will be shipped. In short, the
Red Cross io responsible for the dis
tribution, receipt at designated
points, the inspection, and mailing
of the boxes.
The following is an outline of the
procedure to be followed by persons
planning to send tne of these par
cells abroad:
On receiving one of these Christ
mas parcel labels, it should be pre-
sented at the nearest chapter, branch |
or auxiliary headquarters of the Red
Cross, where the holder will receive
a canton. These labels arc not ex-
pected to reach this country before
Nov. 1, but by that time each Red
Cross branch will have it's allotment
Of boxes based on the number or
soldiers in service overseas from that
ARTICLES THAT ARE BARRED.
These boxes may be filled with
any combination of articles except
hose on the list barred by the postal
authorities. The articles prohibited
ire intoxicating liquors, inf1ammable
material, including friction matches
Ind any composition likely to ignite
IT explode, Cigarette lighters come
lnder this classification liquids,
md fragile articles improperly pack
ID. Under the postal regulations no
tote or message or written matter c.
my kind wilPbe permitted to remain
n the boxes. In addition to the fore
,oing list of prohibited articles, rela-
ives and friends of the soldiers are
Urged to bear these facts in mind
When preparing Christmas parcels:
Do not put anything in the pack
ge which will not keep fresh until
Pack dried fruits and other food
roducts in small tin or wooden
oxes.
Give preference to hard candy over {
hocolates, unless the latter are in
losed in heavy wrappers. Soft
hocolates are easily crushed and
lay spoil the other contents.
Do not put articles packed in glass {
4 the package. {
Gifts should be wrapped in khaki {
olored handkerchiefs wenty-seven1 l
1ches square.
When the package has been pack