Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-11-01
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= UNCLE TED'S BEDTIME !
STORY
UNCLE SAM SANTA CLAUS
AIDE

4.You sure are in a hurry to start /
talking about what you want Santa I
Claus to bring, now" said Jack
II don't see why answered Ruth.
~ want to be sure he gets my letter
know lots Of things want. Any
how if / wait too long he might not
get the letter, then he wouldn't know
what / want.
II never did understand how he
gets our letters anyway" said Jack.
do you really want to know"
spoke up Uncle Ted from behind his
evening paper.
"You bet we do" said Jack.
'sAll right, I'll tell you a secret.
Who Santa Claus's right hand man
really is. He is none other than our
old friend Uncle Sam, that big fellow
with the Red White and Blue suit
and high hat who looks after all
our various government branches in
Washington or wherever they may
be. One of his biggest jobs is to run
the largest single business in the
world, the Postal System that hand
les $4,000 100000 articles of mail
matter every year <of which 12,000,-
100000 pieces are letters like the
ones you send to Santa Claus. Uncle
Sam has several big men as assistant
in his work and one of the biggest
is Harry S. New the Postmaster Gen
eral, whose job it is to see that this
great business is run properly.
ALREADY Mr.. New and his assis-
tants are getting in touch with st.
Nicholas so that they will have a di-
rect line to his home in the ice bound
regions of the north. This is necess-
sary so that your letters and the
hundreds Of letters from all the other
little boys and girls will reach him
by train, boat, airplane and dog
train, long before he leaves his home
Of snow and ice. Mr.. New is giving
orders now to set all the postal ma
chinery in motion so that the jolly
fat man will arrive with smile and
none Of his presents will be delayed.
The work of getting all these letters
to Santa Claus in time so that when
his prancing reindeer are ready to
start for our housetops, his bags will
carry the right presents, is only q
small part Of the work Mr.. New must
direct When / talked with him not
long ago he showed me several let
tiers from little boys and girls asking
| him to get in touch with Santa and
he said that he would do all in his
power to see that each and every one
is delivered in plenty Of time"
1.-TWO or three years ago the Christ
mas Mail was so large that it was
something to talk and wonder about.
But today, kiddies, the daily mail
handled by the Post Office Depart
ment is as large as the Christmas
mail was only three years ago! What
is the longest you can hink Of, Jack -
asked Unce Ted.
81 guess I'd say clear around the
world would be the longest way !
could think Of" answered Jack.
"Well, Jack, the letters handled by
News big Department under Uncle
Sam, received and delivered in one
year, if laid end to end would extend
for 5000, 100000 feet or more than
| 1868 miles or about forty-five
and one-half times around the earth.
"Whew," exclaimed Ruth, that's
big bunch Of letters"
"Then think Of the weight of that
mail, estimated at 133,350 tons.
Why, every second of each "a hours
Of every day people throughout the
land presided over by Uncle Sam,
drop 389 letters in letter boxes. That
means 1884 every minute or 1,400,
900 every hour