Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1918-10-25
SOLDIERS and SAILORS
CHRISTMAS PACKAGES
Must be Handled Through Red
Cross. Local Chapter Ap-
points Committee for this
Purpose Complete Instruc-
tions and Suggestion.

Upon notification that the
soldiers and sailors Christmas
Packages would be handled en-.
tirely through the American Red
Cross, the local branch appointed
the following committee for this
purpose. Mrs. A. M. Proctor,
Chairman, Mrs. Jno. L. Patter-
son, Mrs. J. M. Jackson, Mrs. C..
A. Wyche. The Red Cross
Rooms will be open every after
noon during the receiving period
.odistribute the regulation boxes
and to receive and forward
packages.
1t is urged that those desiring
to send Christmas packages to
soldiers consult some member of
this committee as early as posi-
BILE.
Regulations governing tn e
shipment of Christmas parcels to
army men in service overseas by
relatives in this country have
just been completed, following a
series of conferences between Of
ficials of the War Department,
the Post Office Department and
the American Red Cross. Under
the plan worked out every Amer
ican soldier in a foreign land will
be permitted to receive one pack
age containing Christmas gifts
from the United States.
The Navy Department has a
separate arrangement to enable
men in that branch of the service
on duty abroad to obtain holiday
boxes from loved ones at home.
Relatives and friends, who are
planning to make Christmas for
the soldiers in the war zones as
merry as conditions will permit,
should bear in mind that each
soldier is entitled to but one of
these packages. The War De-
partment will not accept more
than one parcel for each man.
1t is expected that approximately
1000, 600 of these packages will
be sent abroad and the amount of
shipping space provided for their
transportation will not permit of
any deviation from the lone par
eel a man rule"
The men themselves will de-
eide who is to send these parcels.
They are now receiving Christ
mas.parcel labels with instruc-
tions 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 it cannot be
replaced.
No Christmas parcels will be
accepted for shipment after
November Goth. The cardboard
boxes, or cartons to be provided
for these parcels are 3"x9" in
size. When packed, wrapped
and ready for mailing these boxes
must not weigh more than three
pounds.
The American Red Cross has
agreed to provide these cardboard
boxes and to supervise their dis
tribution to relatives of the SOL
diers who present the proper
Christmas parcel label creden-
tial. The distribution of the car
tons will be made by Red Cross
branches throughout the country.
1t will be incumbent upon the
person receiving one of these
boxes to return it when filled,
but unwrapped, to the collection
point designated by the Red
Cross. Here it will be inspected
by the Red Cross inspectors au-
thorized to exclude any articles
barred by the postal authorities,
after which the box will be ship
ped. In short, the Red Cross is
responsible for the distribution,
receipt at designated points, the