Smyrna times., 1943-08-26
OVERSEE GIFTS
in MAIL SEPT. Is
Christmas Gifts to Boys Over
seas Must Be Mailed Be-
tween Sept. 15- Oct. 10
EARLY MAILING URGED

of the Smyrna post office. Mailing
of gifts for Army and Navy per-
sonnet overseas must begin by Sep
TENDER 10, if many of the men and
women in our armed services are
not to be disappointed; and Sep
TENDER 10 is less than three weeks
away. Christmas gifts may be
mailed by parcel post to Army men
and women overseas only between
September Is and October Is. At
ter the latter date, such parcels
may not be mailed unless a written
request from the soldier for the
article is presented with each par
eel. The Navy also urges that
gifts be mailed between September
Is and october 10.
Early Mailing Urged
Reasons for the early mailing
dates are: The vast distances that
the parcels must travel to reach
men at war fronts and stations the
world over; frequent transfers of
thousands of men from one location
to another, which means forward
ing of the mail and consumes addi-
tional time; the necessity for CIV
ing preference to reinforcements,
arms, munitions, medicine and food
in allotment of shipping space,
which often means that the ship
ments of gifts must wait. And it
is most urgent that gifts be deliv-
cred to the men IN TIME FOR
CHRISTMAS, to keep their spirit
high" Mr.. Urian said. 1.-THE only
way to insure against disappoint-
ment for the fighting men is to buy
at once and mail early-mail gifts
as soon as possible after the Sep
TENDER Is starting date" he added.
Shipping Time Required
Those who have relatives or
friends in the service should re-
member that we have fighting men
in Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, Eng
land, Sicily, far-separated regions
of Africa, the Near Eastern coun-
tries, Australia, many of the South
Pacific islands, India, China, South
America, and other areas. Weeks
are required for a ship to reach
many of these stations. There can
be no assurance, of course, that the
first ship sailing for any of these
locations will have space available
to carry Christmas parcels. Gifts
may have to wait until vitality
needed supplies and equipment
have been shipped, to assure vic
tory and to save the lives of our
men. If the parcels are not mailed
early, that delay may prove to be
just enough to prevent their arrival
by Christmas day, with consequent
disappointment to the men who are
offering their lives for their coun-
try and ours"
Rules For Parcels
Rules for Christmas mailings to
the fighting forces overseas were
made public in June for the guild
ance of early shoppers. They in
clude: The parcel must not exceed
five pounds, and must not be more
than Is inches in length or SO inch
es in length and girth combined. 1t
should be marked Christmas par
cel' so that it may be given special
attention to assure its arrival be-
fore December 25. Not more than
one parcel may be mailed in any
one week to the same member Of
the armed forces by or in behalf of
the same mailer. The parcel must
be well and strongly packed, in a
container of metal, wood, strong
fiber board, or similar material,
then wrapped in strong paper and
tied with Irvine. The cover should
be such that it can be opened read
lily, for censorship. The contents
should be packed tightly.
Forbid Perishables
Perishable goods, such as fruits
that may spoil, are prohibited. In
toxicants, infammable materials
such as matches or lighter fluids,
poisons, and anything that may
damage other mail also are prohib-
TIED. Gifts enclosed in glass should
be substantially packed to avoid
breakage. Sharp instruments, such
as razors and knives, must have
their edges and points protected so
that they cannot cut through the
coverings and injure postal person
mel or damage other packages.
No Food or Clothes
Since the armed forces are being
plentifully supplied with food and
clothing, the Army and Navy rec
mend against these as gifts. Adj
dresses must be written clearly and
completely In addition to the re-
turn address of the sender, par
eel for an Army man should show
the name, rank, Army serial num-
Der, branch of service, organization,
Army post Office number, and name
of post Office through which the
parcel is routed. The address on a
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