The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-07

ship. Usually the delay from this
cause Is not great, but there have
been cases, under exceptional cfrcum-
stances, where It has been as much as
three weeks. A cause OF delays in
mail coming this way is that the CIV
ilian postal officials to whom this
mail IL delivered at the French port
have had but one port OF embarka-
ton for all mail. The dispAtching of
mail is therefore limited to the sail
ing time OF steamers from that port,
whereas steamers are sailing from
other ports which also might carry
mail. The reason for this restriction
to one port is that the military auth
critics regarded it as inadvisab1e to
furnish the civilian postal authorities,
to whom the mail il turned over at the
port OF embarkation. with the sailing
dates OF vessels from other ports. This
matter has been adjusted now so that
the postal officials may take advan-
sailings from other ports for the dis
patch Of mail.
Complete Postal System.
A complete postal system cores
ponding to that in the United States
is now in operation in France with a.
central postoffice. located at Tours.
This service in France, except the dis
tribution and dispatch Of mails to the
United States, is entirely under mill
tary control, the director and assistant
directors being commissioned army
officers and the entire force being
part of the military service. Nearly
all of these officers and soldiers de-
tailed to this work are me- formerly
employed in the postal service of the
United States, former railway mail
clerks being employed In the handling
OF mall on postal trains, and others
acting as distributors, etc.
France Is divided into three postal
- 80 T.
army officer who was formerly a pos
tai official; and these districts are I'M
der the supervision of the director at
the central postoffice at Tours
Million Letters a Day.
1t Is estimated that a million let
tiers per day arrive in France for mem
bers OF che American expeditionary
forces. There is also a large volume
OF mail for so1diers-about a third as
much as that from home-mailed To-
cally IN France. In dispatching mail
from the United States. letters are sent
to certain ports and other classes of
mail to another. so that letters may
be in no way interfered with by malt
matter of less impol lance
Warehouses have been built at ports
Of debarkation for sorting bags of
mail as they are received from the
1000 miles of railroads in France,
American railway mail service is now
- PoAoAcii, anu IcS utdT pOStdl cars
in charge Of American soldiers acting
as railway mail clerks are sent thru
from the port of debarkation daily TO
certain points where permanent post
offices are established.
How to Address Letter
The matter Of the address to insure
prompt delivery is of vital Importance
The mispelling of name or the use
of initials. where a word should be
spelled out, may not only retard the
delivery of a letter but may prevent
its being delivered at all. Many thou
sands of letters are being constantly
received which cannot be promptly
delivered. if delivered at ali, on ac-
count OF the manner in which they are
addressed. The initials "A. c." may
mean Ambulance Corps" or Admin
istrative Company or Aviation
Clearance-Office," while "a. C. c.
means "Areo Construction Company.
"a. r. c." american Red Cross"
"A I. c." meaNs Aviation Instruc-
ton Center" etc.
Write Name in Full.
Duplication of names of officers as
well as soldiers run into the hundreds
and in some cases into thousands The
name of the soldier addressed should
be written in full instead of using
initials. and the branch of the service
to which the soldier is attached should
be written In full with the designation
of company and regiment, or battery
ana regiment, as well as that of the
branch of the service to which he be-
longs. There are machine gun COM