The Caucasian., 1919-11-16

rCSSsFSS NJ Vic CGS III tHSu-
sands-identification of Cases Often
impossible Because Necessary infor-
nation Is Lacking-How Core
spondence Is Handled.
Dear government. This is TO let
you know that / am staying a while
with my fGks at Simpkins Falls"
And this loyal, punctilious American
mother thought that in that message
she faithfully had complied with the
oft-repeated injunction, Don't fail to
inform the bureau of war risk insur-
ance of change of address,"
Another conscientious mother who
Aad been duly instructed in the fact
that it is often difficult to identify a
soldier unless specific information be
given in the letter of inquiry addressed
to the bureau, asked for news of
my boy jim" "You must have no
ticed Jim. because he's six feet tall"
And OF course she couldn't be expected
to know that that wasn't just the sort
Of descriptive information which might
help in placing Jim, nor that in that
splendid regiment known as per
shing's own" made up of units from
all over the country, there were 2,7OO
men who stood six feet and better.
One mother for whom 'the boy" had
made allotment and asked government
allowance answered the formal inquiry
as to whether she had other sources Of
income with the painstakingly consci-
entious statement, "Only Fred's hens"
Show Hearty Willingness.
So into the bureau Of war risk in
surance by the hundreds Of thousands
pour the letters bearing their manifest
stories Of hearty willingness to con-
form to requirements and simple, in
corruptible honesty, but frequently SO
vague In respect to necessary infor-
nation as to render Identification Of
the cases difficult If not impossible.
The mail section of the bureau works
on 16-hour basis with one shift work
ing from nine in the morning to five
In the afternoon and night shift from
one to eight in the morning, handling
directly from the post Office all mail
arriving during the night.
During the period October, 1918, to
October, 1919, this section received,
sorted, classified and distributed to-
tai of 1896, ,533 pieces Of mail, and for
the same period received from the va
rious divisions of the bureau, arranged
according to states, and forwarded to
the city post Office total of 22,527, sos
pieces of mail. This makes grand
total Of 42.394. .041 pieces of mail pass
ing through the mail section during
the course OF twelve months.
On July IA, 1919. the mail section,
under instructions from Director r. G.
Cholmeley- Jones, took over the arrang
ing and listing Of all tenders in pay
ment for insurance premiums. These
remittances during the period July
14th to October 7th numbered 1,203,-
a92 at valuation Of $9,7S4.186.38.
Takes On Additional Duties.
The mail section from time to time
fs taking on additional duties In order
to relieve the various divisions Of the
bureau, and is functioning with q
lower percentage Of errors than the
minimum allowed by the United States
post Office.
The bureaus mail trucks make
hourly trips between the post office
and the Arlington building and also
collect or deliver at nine offices Of the
bureau outside Of the Arlington build
ing, and at eleven other government
Offices.
Around the first Of the month the
mail comes In at the rate of about
100000 pieces a day, later falling to
10000 or $1,000.
Premium receipts make up about |
half of the entire incoming mail dur |
ing the first half of the month. Sew
enty-fve per cent of all mail received
is for the insurance division of the
bureau.
The mail section also handles each
day $4,000 to 100000 pieces of out
going mail and about 10000 pieces of
interdepartmental mail. Between De-
cember 1. 1918. and September 81,
1919. the bureau received 4,503, ,465 dis.
charge notices alone. In January the
food Of discharge notices rose to $685.
300. In August it reached the high
water mark of 7OO,325. The total num-
Der of pieces of incoming mail re-
ceived during August was 2,2S7 ,436.
How Mail ls Handled.
Mail as 1t comes from the mail sack
Is separated unopened into 81 classes.
The letters are run through the letter.
opening machines at rate of from
two to three hundred minute.
From the letter openers the mall
goes TO forty women expert mail read
ers, who make 48 separations OF the
mail brought to them. 1t takes good
Judgment as well as good memory to
decide unerringly under which OF the
As heads letter belongs. but the mail
reader does it at the rate OF 800 to
200 letters a day.