| Show Its It's Time to Send Senti Your Presents to Servicemen Christmas Mail Month Will Be Sept 15 to Oct 15 Privilege Granted On Overseas Gifts During This Period The volume of Christmas mail going overseas to men and women women women wom wom- en in the armed forces this year will reach la 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 Army postal officers are preparIng preparing preparing ing their organization n to move about twice as many Christmas parcels as were handled In 1943 when holiday packages were sent abroad The navy mail mall service expects nearly four times the volume of gifts handled in 1943 1043 through fleet post offices In New York and San Francisco Fran Fran- cisco A total of packages went through the fleet flee post offices last year of them to adVanced advanced ad- ad bases or ships at sea and to ships putting in at American Amer Amer- ican can ports The service postal organizations can handle this enormous volume more easily with a little assistance from friends and relatives of soldiers soldiers sol sol sol- diers and sailors In 1943 the army post office transmitted more than 20 m million holiday packages and an additional additional additional ad ad- 75 million to million pieces of miscellaneous mail mall The navy moved approximately parcels overseas last Christmas and approximately four million packages to personnel on onshore onshore onshore shore stations in the United States and more than 80 million letters and Christmas cards during the Christmas mail period l last st year The army and navy intend to tomake make mace every effort t td 1 deliver every Christmas gift gilt overseas on time and intact But a sailor will not be cheered If the gift gilt he receives from his ils mother mother for for example an expensive expensive expensive sive wristwatch proves to have been jeen ruined because it was completely com com- buried in a box of cookies that hat have crumbled in transit the navy said Distances heat cold sand dampness dampness damp damp- ness fleet or combat oper 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 gift delivery over which the sender has control is the type and condition of the parcel when it leaves his hands the army armr and navy emphasized Mall Regulations 1 1 Christmas mail mall month will comprise comprise com com- prise the day 30 period from September September September Sep Sep- 15 to October 15 1944 1914 for all those in the armed services over over- seas This period perlo ls is the only time during dur duro ing lug 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 byor byor byor or on behalf of oJ the same person or concern to or for the same soldier I I In 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 lu iu length and girth combined j 1 r r is iE i OLF W Ev 1 Whenever the presents arrive is Christmas to soldiers across the sea Sometimes the army and n navy vy postal services deliver the goods sooner than expected as happened last year in Italy when packages from home arrived late in November The boys opened them up at once since they didn't know what they'd be doing or where they'd be on Christmas Day Its It's safest to mail early however because unforeseen delays can come along 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 military tary personnel personnel personnel person person- i nel overseas overseas will probably be on the market by September 1 the War Production board reported Approximately Approximately Approximately special applications applications applications for the purchase by retailers and box jobbers of these box boxes s h have hays yr been filed with said that the standard boxes are to be of pound tested corrugated paperboard paperboard paperboard paper- paper board 12 by 6 4 63 by 4 inches in regulation slotted carton style with taped manufacturers' manufacturers joints The post office department has recommended recommended recommended mended that gumm gummed d flaps be supplied supplied sup sup- plied d 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 States Stares 4 4 Address the tile 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 th that t If U 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 ov overseas over overseas over over- r. r seas for Christmas on the basis of past experience But what to send is another thing altogether In general general gen gen- eral soldiers and sailors and others others others oth oth- ers like gifts that ate are unobtainable where they are and remind them with special significance of home What Not to Send The services advise generally against sending arti articles les that may be obtained by sailors in ships' ships servIce service service ice stores or by soldiers in post ex ex- I R 1 d i 9 r d M I a. a 1 k nn Packages get rough handling all along the way and unless they are securely wrapped and tied they may be damaged in transit Here lIere is a scene in the tilt 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 working off on or the wrapping loose By Dy the time your gifts ruts have made the long trip in a mail mall sack they have been subjected to a lot of bouncing around on the railroad and boat The last stage stan may be made In a jeep or airplane changes But soap for example which is available in most post exchanges exchanges ex ex- changes is a valued gift particularly particularly for soldiers on the move for forIn forin forin in advancing they sometimes outdistance outdistance out out- distance for hours or days even mobile mobile mo mo- 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 Christ Christ- mas nas rush we kept a considerable force of men busy Rg 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 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 mall but it causes serious damage damage damage dam dam- age to the other fellows fellow's mail Warn them about candy melting fruit cakes and cookies crumble and decay 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 able gifts Include leather goods roods these mold in the tropics chocolate chocolate chocolate choco choco- late late- these melt cigarettes obtainable obtainable obtainable ob ob- more cheaply in ships' ships stores cameras forbidden elec elect electrical electrical equipment there may be no electricity available food unless tinned liquor clothing unless re re- quested Fragile articles and soft candies and pastries are poor gifts for obvious obvious obvious ob ob- reasons the army reported Gifts Poorly Wrapped The army cautioned that boxes of miscellaneous gifts gUts should be packed carefully Razor blades for example require extra wrapping Numerous cases have been recorded recorded recorded re re- re- re corded of improperly wrapped razor blades working through packages In 1943 approximately 15 per cent of the Christmas mail handled by bythe 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 It needs 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 un un- un- un til it arrives at a Fleet Post office for directory service By this time any of the parcel post that was at atall 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 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- A gre great t 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 lag the labels to come off Frequently Frequently Frequently Fre Fre- these stickers have been hurriedly slapped on on leaving tiny air pockets beneath them Friction in transit causes these to wear off offin offin offin in spots All too often addresses are in pencil or if in ink the Ink has become wet and illegible Again this year soldiers overseas will b bs be able to select gifts for the folks back home from the mail order 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 anc and lingerie |
