Show Its It's If s Time to Send Your Presents to Servicemen Christmas Mail Month Will Be Sept 15 to Oct 15 o Privilege Granted On Overseas Gifts During This Period The volume of Christmas mail going overseas to men and women women wom worn en in the armed forces this year will reach a new high the office of war information predicts Approximately uniformed uniformed uniformed uni uni- formed men and women in the army and navy postal services are preparing for their biggest job that of moving an estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated packages of Christmas presents three times as many as last year to the military men and women over over- seas over I Army postal officers are preparing preparing preparing ing their organization to move move about twice as many Christmas parcels as were handled in 1943 when holiday packages were sent abroad The navy mail service expects nearly four times the volume of gifts handled in 1943 through fleet post offices in New York and San Fran Fran- cisco A total of packages went through the fleet post offices last year of pf th them m to advanced advanced advanced ad ad- bases or ships at sea and to ships putting in at American American American Amer Amer- ican ports The service postal organizations can handle this enormous volume more easily with a little assistance from friends and relatives of soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers and sailors In 1943 the army post office transmitted more than 20 mill million on holiday packages and an additional additional additional ad ad- 75 million to million pieces of miscellaneous mail The navy moved approximately parcels overseas last Christmas and approximately four million packages to personnel onshore on onshore onshore shore stations in the United States and more than 80 million letters and Christmas cards during the Christmas mail period last year The army and navy intend to tomake tomake tomake make every effort to to deliver every Christmas gift overseas on time and intact But a sailor will not be cheered if the gift he receives from his mother mother for for example an expensive expensive expensive sive wristwatch proves to have been ruined because it was completely completely com corn buried in a box of coolies that have crumbled in transit the navy said Distances heat cold sand dampness dampness dampness damp damp- ness fleet or combat operations and the fortunes of war are hazards that complicate the delivery of all mail overseas even without the Christmas rush The only factor in Christmas g gift t delivery oyer which the sender has control is the type and condition of the parcel when it leaves his hands the army and navy II em emphasized Mail Regulations 1 Christmas mail month will comprise comprise com corn prise the day 30 period from September Sep Sep- 15 to October 15 1914 1944 for all those in the armed services over over- seas This period is the time only during during during dur dur- ing which packages may be sent to soldiers overseas without a specific written request from the soldier or without an APO cancellation Only one package may be sent by hy byor byor or on behalf of the same person or concern to or for the same soldier I In to one week during this month 2 Mark the package Christmas Parcel using a label that does not resemble a postage mark or stamp 3 The package must weigh not more than five pounds wrapped and must be no longer than 15 inches in length and 36 inches in length and girth combined rY r 4 4 W A 4 l r t k Ik I Ii i I ti I Whenever the presents arrive is Christmas to soldiers across the sea Sometimes the army and navy postal services deliver the goods sooner than expected as happened last year in Italy when packages from home arrived late in November The bo boys s 's opened them up at once since they didn't know what they'd be doin doing or where they'd be on Christmas Day Its It's safest to mail earl early however because unforeseen delays can come along an any time The army recommends that the package container be a box of metal wood or solid corrugated fiberboard reinforced with strong gummed paper tape or tied with strong twine or both Standardized boxes for mailing Christmas gifts to fo military personnel personnel personnel person person- nel overseas will probably be on the market by September 1 I the War Production board reported Approximately Approximately Approximately special applications applications applications for the purchase by retailers an and box jobbers of these boxes have been filed with I said that the standard boxes are to be of pound tested corrugated paperboard paperboard paperboard paper- paper board 12 by 6 by 4 inches in regulation slotted carton style with taped manufacturers' manufacturers joints The post office department has recommended recommended recommended mended that gummed flaps be supplied supplied supplied sup sup- plied with the boxes for sealing the parcels reported Blanks for address and return address address address ad ad- dress will appear on the panels of the box also the statement this box to be used only for sending merchandise to a member of the armed forces outside the United Sta States tes 4 Address the package completely complete complete- ly and legibly Print the address so that it will not run streak smudge or fade Place an additional copy of the address and return address inside the package so that if it comes apart or the wrapper is torn soiled or lost the additional copy may be used Do not use gummed labels for addressing The army and navy point out that they know what not to send overseas overs overseas over over- s seas seas as for Christmas on the basis of past experience But what to send is another thing altogether In general general gen gen- general eral soldiers and sailors and others others others oth oth- oth- oth ers like gifts that are unobtainable where they are and remind them with special significance of home What Not to Send The services advise generally against sending articles that may be obtained by sailors in ships' ships service service service ice stores or by soldiers in post ex- ex I r rt t I t 3 l A g k t t j i i 4 i i f t 1 Packages get rough handling all along the way and unless they are securely wrapped and tied the they may be damaged in transit Here ere is a scene in the New York postoffice showing how busy sorters toss parcels into the hand The big pile in the rear consists of packages that are coming undone undone the the string off working or the wrapping loose By the time your gifts have made the long trip in a mail sack they have been subjected to a lot of bouncing around on the railroad and boat The last stage may be made in a jeep or airplane changes But soap for example which is available in most post exchanges exchanges exchanges ex ex- ex- ex changes is a valued gift particularly particularly for soldiers on the move for in advancing they sometimes outdistance outdistance out out- distance for hours or days even mobile mo mo- mobile bile post exchanges Perishable foods intoxicants weapons poisons and inflammables including matches and lighter fluids are taboo and will not be accepted for mailing overseas A navy postal officer stationed overseas wrote During the Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- Christmas mas rush we kept a considerable force of men busy parcels parcels parcels par par- cels and salvaging everything fit for forwarding A very great service could be rendered to us out here if the widest possible publicity could be given to these matters The UThe people should be warned not notto notto notto to send liquids of any kind They should use every possible precaution in packing powder of any kind Fruit is not only dangerous to their own mail but it auses causes serious damage damage dam dam- damage age to the other fellows fellow's mail Warn them about candy melting fruit cakes and cookies crumble and de de- de- de cay Above all the fact should be stressed that mail sacks can be baked in the hot sun and drenched in transit all in the same day The navy has found that unsuitable unsuitable unsuitable able gifts include leather goods these mold in hi the tropics chocolates chocolates choco choco- chocolates lates these melt cigarettes obtainable obtainable ob ob- ob- ob tamable more cheaply in ships' ships stores cameras forbidden electrical electrical elec elec- equipment there may be no electricity available food unless tinned liquor clothing unless re re- re- re 0 quested Fragile articles and soft candies and pastries are poor gifts for obvious obvious obvious ob ob- ob- ob I reasons the army reported Gifts Poorly Wrapped The army cautioned that boxes of miscellaneous gifts should be packed carefully Razor blades for example require extra wrapping Numerous cases have been recorded recorded re re- corded of improperly wrapped razor blades working through packages In 1943 approximately 15 per cent of the Christmas mail handled by the navy was delayed in transit because because because be be- cause of incorrect or incomplete addressing the navy reported One navy postal officer wrote from the Pacific theater 11 It no considerable stretch of your imagination to understand how mail looks after it has been shipped for thousands of miles by bywater bywater bywater water then worked and shipped again reworked and reshipped until until until un un- un- un til it arrives at a Fleet Post office for directory service By this tithe time any of the parcel post that was at atall atall all inclined to be perishable is thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- decomposed causing damage damage damage dam dam- age to mails adjacent Only today we dumped up a sack containing the contents of a parcel which had come entirely apart There were rotten apples decayed oranges melted candy and stale cake crumbs throughout the entire sack This happens all too fre fre- fre- fre qu II A UA A great deal of it was originally poorly wrapped Many parcels have sticker addresses The sacks may have become wet in transit causing causing caus caus- ing the labels to come off Frequently Frequently Fre Fre- Frequently these stickers have been hurriedly slapped on leaving tiny air pockets beneath them Friction in transit causes these to wear off in spots All too often addresses are in pencil or if in ink the ink has become wet and illegible Again this this' year soldiers overseas will be able to select gifts for the folks back home from the mail order order or or- der catalogue operated by the army exchange service special services division Listed gifts include mens men's toiletries haberdashery leather goods luggage games including playing cards books magazine subscriptions subscriptions subscriptions sub sub- dolls toys doll dishes stuffed animals smokers' smokers supplies candy perfumes cosmetics and I un |