Evening star., 1942-08-30


at overseas posts. If, for example
in a given dispatch by convoy or
bomber ferries there were space for
$500 pounds of mail, this would
take only 87,5O0 letters on ordinary
single-sheet stationery. If this mail
were dispatched to an oversee COM
bat command of 10000 men, it
would mean that only 87,500 would
receive mail from home, and that
81, 500 would have to wait until the
next mail dispatch. If V-mail were
used, it would be possible to trans
port 10000 letters in the available
space, making it possible for each
man in the command to receive a
letter from home.
Operation of V-mail service is
for correspondence only to and from
our armed forces overseas, and a
special standard uniform, and dis
tinctive V-mail letter. sheet, COM
bination of letter and envelope, has
been prepared.
Several million V-mail letter
sheets have been sent to our armed
forces at oversee stations for free
distribution. Here in the United
States V-mail letter sheets are
available at the Nations A 900 post
offices and they also may be OBJ
tanned from every rural letter carrier
on the Nations $4,000 rural routes
thereby placing them within reach
of Americans everywhere whether
they be residents of a large city or a
remote rural community.
Civilians writing to members of
our armed forces abroad on V-mail
letter-sheets will pay the regular
postage, cents if the sender de-
sires domestic transportation by
surface means and 6 cents for air
transportation within the contin-
entail limits of the United States.
"V-mail letters sent by members
of the armed forces will be accepted
for mailing without payment of
postage under the provision of the
act of March 81, 1912, which provides
for free mail service for personal
letters written by members of our
armed forces.
The V-Mail letter-sheet is so ar
ranged as to allow the largest space
for the message A small space is
provided for the name and address
of the person who is to receive the
message, for the sender's name and
address may be typewriter or
written with dark ink or dark pencil
Nothing may be inclosed with the
message.
The diverse or envelope side of
the V-Mail sheet contains full in
structions for use and is so arranged
as to provide for the standard and
uniform writing of the name and
address of the sender and receiver
of the letter. 1t has descriptive
printed markings to make the letter
easily and promptly sorted and han
died to destination, and is so con-
structed as to provide for uniform
folding and sealing. V-Mail will re-
ceive the most preferred and expedi-
tious sorting, handling and dispatch
| to destination.
The War and Navy Departments
will determine, based upon volume,
distance and location of other v
Mail stations, which Army post
Office or naval unit V-Mail will be
filmed and which will be forwarded
to destination in original form. II
the V-Mail is filmed the addressee
will receive 4x5 u Inch photograph
of the actual message as written.
THE War and Navy Departments
have completed arrangements to USE
filming and reproducing stations es-
tablished by United Nations through.
out the world, SO as to take advan-
tage Of every existing facility to eX.
pedite V-mail to our forces stationed
outside the continental Unitee
States.
BY mid-AuguSt OF 1912, V-mai
reproduction stations were in opera.
ton in Hawaii and throughout the
United Kingdom and in Australia by
the Army postal service, and through
the cooperation of others of The
United Nations, this reproduction
facility was also available in tn,
Near East. This meant that tn,
micro filming features of V-mai
were available to all V-mall user
who were corresponding with mem
bers Of the armed forces in thos'
areas. Reproduction stations within
the United States make it possibl
to reproduce all incoming V-mal
which is received in micro-filme,
form.
Because of many operating, ad
mlnistrative and technical problem
involved in establishing this round
the-World V-mail service, it has no
been possible or practicable to In
stall all of the microf filming fea
lures simultaneously. New station
will be installed as rapidly as mate
rial and equipment can be manu-
factured and distributed.
"Senders of V-mail are assured
complete privacy. Mail to and from
oversee stations is read by censors
but the task of filming and develop
ing the micro-film mail is don,
mechanically. The letters are sortet
and then opened by an automati
cutting machine, and then passet
through the photographing devic
at the rate of $500 an hour.
In order to insure that V-mai
letter-sheets will conform exactly il
every particular to what is require,
: by the technical and mechanica
= operations of the service, permi
system has been formulated by tn
Post Office Department, and permit
are being issued to firms or indi
viduals to print for sale or free dis
= tribution V-mail letter sheets. Reg
ulations covering the manner of OBJ
tanning permit to print V-mai
letter-sheets have been promulgate
. by the Postmaster General"
Eugene Carey of Iron River, Mich