Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-01-13
MYSTERY OF MISSING
MAIL IS EXPLAINED
Many Carloads Of Mail In France
For Soldiers That Is Yet
Undelivered
TO BE DELIVERED HERE

The American soldiers in France
will probably know soon what has be-
come of their mail. Postmaster Prae-
ger, of Washington. has told the post
Office senate committee that thou
sands and perhaps millions of let
ters," addressed to men overseas, will
shortly arrive in New York from
France, and will be sent to the Dead
Letter Office where an attempt will be
made to deliver them to the writer's.
There are said to be from eight to
ten carloads of mail for American SOL
diers undelivered in France.
Blame for the failure TO deliver this
mail was placed on the War depart
ment by Mr.. Praeger. who again ex-
planned that the army authorities ham
die all soldiers mail in France. the
postoffice department delivering out
going mail at Hoboken and receiving
returning mail at the French ports.
Mr. Praeger said one way to i'm
prove conditions overseas would be
to send force of experienced mail
clerks to France to deliver the mail
to the soldiers.
Members of the committee sought to
as certain whether there was any de-
lay at French ports in handling mail
coming to this country.
THE trouble does not lie at the
ports" declared Mr. Praeger. 1T lies
in the interior. The mail gets tied up
somewhere between army headquar-
tiers, censors and the ports
Mr. Praeger told the committee that
one reason for the confusion in the de-
livery of mail to soldiers was the fail
ure of the War department to keep up
it's index system This same cause, he
declared, also was responsible for the
departments delay in sending out al
lotments to soldiers and in reporting
casualties.
Another source of delay in deliver
ing mail promptly he added, was the
transferring of units of troops from
one port to another, but he said this
should cause only a few days delay,
as the mail could readily be forward
ed to the moving troops.
Asked what facilities the War de-
partment had for handling mail, Mr..
Praeger said about fifty experienced
mail clerks were sent by that depart
ment overseas, while the remainder of
the necessary force for this work was
made up of inexperienced men.
The Second Assistant Postmaster
General appeared before the commit
tee to urge appropriations of $4,000, 900
for the maintenance and development
of the aerial mail service. He pre-
dicted a great future for this service
and declared that extensive plans for
developing aerial mail facilities are
being made by France, England and
Canada, the latter now tplapning the
establishment of an airplane route
connecting Montreal with Boston.
Extension of the present air mail
service between Washington and New
York, so as to connect Boston with
Atlanta, is planned. Mr.. Praeger said.
In addition it is also proposed to es-
tablish routes connecting New York
and Omaha, Nebraska via Chicago and
Boston, with Detroit, through Albany
and Buffalo. Establishment of these
routes, he said, would cost $2,034,00O,
while he estimated the revenues would
total s2,O50,125.
Replying to questions of senator's,
Mr. Praeger said the cost of operating
the air mail service between Washing
ton and New York during the last six
months was $75,165. while the reve-
nues totaled $60,653.