Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1921-12-16
POSTMASTER GENERALS MES.
SAGE TO BOYS AND GIRLS
OF UNITED STATES.

To the boys and girls of the United
States:
Christmas is almost here. /.
Your great Post Office Department
has big job and needs your help.
Think what it means to be Santa
Claus to our 100,000,000 people and
to deliver Christmas parcels to every
family in this great country within
the short space Of a few days and
without disappointment.
1t can be done, and we're going
to do it if we may have your help.
l want to enlist the active assistance
of every boy and girl in the schools
Of our country in getting parcels
mailed this week to relieve the rush
that comes directly before Christ
mas.
Will you 60 home to-day and take
this message to your parents and
friends?
"Our postmaster has asked US to
mail our Christmas parcels this week,
for, unless we do, Uncle Sans load
may be so heavy the last few days
before Christmas that he won't be
able to deliver all the presents by
Christmas eve."
The parcels must be well wrapped
and tied and addressed plainly in
order that they may arrive in good
condition with their Christmas ap-
pearance unspoiled. You can put on
your packages, "Do not open until
Christmas"
And, there must be number on
your house and a mail receptacle,
too, for, if there isn't, Santa Claus's
messenger, your letter carrier, may
not be able to find the house where
the present belongs.
There are some other things in
which you can all assist in improving
the mail service and in saving our
great Government millions Of dol
lars a year that is now wasted be-
cause Of our carelessness-yours and
mine.
Every day that you drop letter
in the mail box 40,000,oo0 other
letters are already pushing and jam
ming through the postal machinery
One letter . day for each family Of
five persons in the United States is
given to Uncle Sam to deliver.
When you send parcel to the post
office for mailing any day there are
about 100000 other parcels ahead
Of yours passing through the postal
hopper. This is in ordinary days; al
Christmas time it is multiplied many
times.
One family in about every tef
puts q badly addressed letter in the
mail every day. This mixes up over
100000 half-addressed letters with
the 100000 fully addressed letters.
That ni..ans thst- the fully addressed
letters ra.ss wais o.. .,e slow moving
poorly add:.ssed letters Just like the
larger boys Ina girls are ;!c.a;tI Ey
q bunch # bal kids tagging ..cDg.
You boys and girls can help the
Postal Service and save your father
some money, because he has to help
pay the cost Of searching addresses
on letters and parcels sent out by
this one careless and thoughtless
family in every ten.
First find out if your family Is the
careless one, then bear in mind that
your letters must be handled by
skilled mail distributors standing in
post-offces and on swaying postal
cars Of mile-a-minute mail trains,
often under poor light.
The addresses on every letter, card,
or package must be correct, complete,
and legible, including the house num-
Der and name Of street, and the
From" address should be in the up
per left-hand corner 20 that the mail
will be returned to you in case it
is not delivered. Do not abbreviate
names Of States because 10 many
look alike when 80 abbreviated.
Put. the proBer amount Of postage
On your letters and wrap the parcels
avoid fancy writing, which
causes post-office clerks and carriers
70 stop and study, and thus lose
time. Make the address plain and
sasily read, and always use pen and
nix or typewriter and light-colored
20 ~ to save the eyes of
The post-offce clerks Do not use1
envelopes Of unusual size. The little
ines that are 30 frequently used for|
:ards and notes ct Christmas or|
,ther holiday times cause an untold
mount Of trouble and labor, as they
will not 1T our cancelling machines
md must therefore be cancelled by1
land. Because of their size and ten
'verloading and delaying mail at the
md Of the day.
lency to slip out Of . package, these
mall envelopes are more likely toI
" overlooked or lost.
Mail your letters and packages
arly in the day because this avoids
Your local postmaster and your
eachers win tell you more about thet