Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-02-05
Departments in Charge of Sc
Iected Men Who Volunteered
Their Services.
ESTABLISH TWO terminals
New York and Chicago Distributing
Points, Where Uncle Sam Sorts
and Labels Mail to VarI-
GUS Points.

Sans expeditionary forces in France,
and the work has been accomplished
with remarkable speed.
Postmaster General Burleson real
ICES that to ''the boys at the front"
a letter from home means much, and
that the coming and going of this
mail is a matter of watchful anxiety
on the part of the folks at home.
Nearly every family in America Is
interested to know how letters and
parcels are dispatched to the expedi- |
tionary forces, and whether every par
ticular individual soldier, who is the
object of home affection and anxiety, |
will be promptly found by the "letter |
carrier" among the thousands who
may be located at unnamed places In
France
The United States post Office went
to Europe In advance of the expedi-
tionary forces. A postal agent was
appointed for duty in France and a
force was sent with him to provide for
the opening of post offices as rapidly
as the needs of the army might re-
quire. He was accompanied by COM
mittee of postal officials. The ten
highest men In each railway division,
the money order, registry and other
specialized branches, who volunteered
for this service were selected by the
department for the French service. A
number of these officials sacrificed
higher pay at home than they would re-
ceive for their services abroad, in their
patriotic response to the call of spe-
cial duty.
The "first United States post office
In France is now operating in Paris
having comfortable quarters and thor
ough equipment.
Use Experts Who Volunteered.
The postal force is from time to
time, as the needs of the service re-
quire, being provided with experienced
postal distributors, and stamp and
money order clerks, who are selected
from among the most expert in the
postal service of this country who vol.
unteer their services. Additional post
offices have been established as rap
idly as required. There are now In
| Va
divisional offices handling the mail to
and from the soldiers, selling stamps
and issuing money orders. Whenever
the necessity has arisen for an add
tional branch post Office or station II
has been provided and in working or
der within from "a to SO hours. TIC
meet the requirement of additional
service an organization has beer
worked out In advance so that mum
: Der of men are regularly on hand be
: ing trained at the post offices alread!
= established so as to familiariZe then
! with the work.
!. Immediately upon the first contin
:. gent of the American troops being or
dered to France arrangements wer
4 made for a distributing center at New
, York, where the mails are distributes
G by regiments, companies, etc., so tina
v upon their receipt In France they ma
be promptly dispatched to the prope
military or other organization, som
: of which are widely scattered, an
delivered to the soldiers without d.
lay. There is no delay in the deliver
y of mail to the Americans serving l
France whether belonging to the exp'
dictionary forces or to other organize
=. lions, If properly addressed.
- The department has frequently r.
I. minded the public that the mail az
a dressed to members of the expedition
" airy forces should designate the divi
r. ion, the regiment, the company, an
10 the organization to which the address
es belongs-as "John Smith, Jr., Con
4. pary x Infantry (Giving the nun
"a Der Of the infantry, American Exped
m tionary Forces" The letter or pare
ar should also bear the return addre
II of the sender, and be properly stampe
" The limit of weight for parcel is
as pounds.
Two Military Terminals.
5 The method of handling the mail f.
3 the expeditionary forces is to forwal
s. to the central distributing point at Ne
York In the Grand Central Terminal {
OF matter mailed east of the Mississippi
ed and to the military terminal point
40 Wabash avenue, Chicago, matt
10 mailed west of the Mississippi.
ell these two distributing points the ms
ne is sorted and labeled to each of I
units and dispatched by the first ava
:" able steamer.
io Letters originating with Americ'
% troops in France are censored by t
'A American authorities at regiment
headquarters and after being pass
are turned over to the postal auth'
he tiles to be dispatched to the Unit
its States. Unpaid letters from soldie
-ge In France upon their receipt In t
ess United States have been taxed at
at single rate, and the postage collect
the from those to whom the mail Is del
md cred but by the provisions of the W
cry revasue bill letter mail sent fro
ms France by members of the Americ