The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-12-06
SUGGESTIONS ON
CHRISTMAS MAIL

The following letter was receiv-
ed at the locel post office, by Post
master John s. Scott /.
Office OF the Postmaster General
Washington, Nov. %, 1921
To the Boys and Girls Of the
United States:-
Christmas is almost here.
Your great post office depart
ment has a big job ahead aud
needs your help.
Think what II means to be Santa
Claus to our 1o0,ooo,00o people
and to deliver Christmas parcels
to every family in this great
country within the short space Of
a few days and without disoppoint-
ment.
1t can be done. and we'ro going
TO do 1t II we may have your help.
I want to enlist the active assist
ance of every boy and girl in tho
schools Of our country in getting
parcels mailed THIS WEEK to re.
liere the rush that comes directly
before Christmas.
VIII you 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 Re we'll wrap
ped and tied and addressed plainly
in ord er that they may arrive in
good condition with their Christ
masy appearance unspoIled. You
can put on your packages, do not
open until Christmas"
And, there must be a number on
your house and a mail receptacle,
foo. for, II there isn't, Santa
Claus's messenger, your letter car
rier, may not be able to find tie
house where tho present belongs,
There are some other things.
too. in which you can all assist In
Improving the mail service and In
saving II great Government mil
lions OF dollars a year that is now
wasted because OF III carelessness
yours and mine.
Every day that you drop a letter
In the mail box 100000 other
letters are already pushing and
jamming through the postal ma
chinery. One letter a day for each
family OF five persons in the Unit
ed States is given to Uncle Sam to
deliver.
When you send a parcel to the
most office for mailing, any day
there are about 100000 other
parcels ahead Of yours passing
through the postal hopper. This
Is In ordinary days: at Christmas
time it is multiplied many times.
Ono family in about every ten
puts a badly addressed letter In
The mail every day. This mixes
up over 100000 half addressed
letters with the 100000 fully
addressed letters. That means
that the fully addressed letters
must wait on tho slow moving
poorly addressed letters just like
the larger boys and girls are de-.
layed by a bunch OF bad kids
tagging along.
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 II your family Is
the careless one, then bear IN
mind that your letters must be
handled by skilled mail dlstribu-
tors standing in post offices and on
swaving postal cars of n mile-a-
minute mail trains, often under
poor light.
The address on every letter
card, or package must be correct,
complete. and leglble, including
the house number and name OF
street, and the From" address
should BIO in tho upper left hand
corner so that the mail will BIO re.
turned to you In cast it Is not
0GllTeTGus bO NV
names of States, because to many
look alike when abbreviated.
Put the proper amount OF post
ago ON your letters and wrap the
parcels carefully. Avoid fancy
writing. which causes post-of1tce
clerks and carriers to stop and
study, and thus lose time. Make
the address plain and easily read,
and always use pen and Ink OF
typewriter and light colored en-.
yelopes. SO as to saw tho eyes oil
tho rost-oifice clerks. Do not use
envelopes Of unusual size. The
little ones that are SO frequently
used for cards and notes at Christ
mas and other holiday times cause
an untold amount Of trouble and
labor, MS they will not fit our can
ceiling machines and must there
fore be cancelled by hand. Be.
cause OF their size and tendency ia
slip out of a package, these small
-