Security Rules

Dad
May 27, 2003

12/78DO No.761

—by FATHER DAVID

For the mails & travellers! Plus, timesaving tips for typists!

[Family News, Vol.9, No.11]

1. PLEASE DO NOT USE EXPRESS STAMPS nor send any mail "express" or "special delivery" It's just a waste of money & seldom gets the item there any quicker than by ordinary air mail, particularly if it is merely addressed to a Post Office box‚ as is most of our Family mail.

2. THE ONLY ADVANTAGE OF "EXPRESS" or "special delivery" stamps is to speed delivery to a local office or residence street address & does not speed delivery to a P.O. box any faster than ordinary air mail postage. I used to work in the Post Office & I know. Please save your money & the postman's time & forget the express! Thanks!

3. Use only legal names of individuals & the exact prescribed address, preferably a P.O. box number that is in the name of an individual‚ not an organisation. Haven't you heard?—

4. THERE IS A BIG CAMPAIGN on by big organisations against small ones!—Beware! A stitch in time saves nine & a word to the wise is sufficient.

5. ALSO REMEMBER THAT SEVERAL SMALL NORMAL LETTER–SIZE AIR MAIL ENVELOPES are more likely to get through safely & more quickly & not arouse suspicion nor usually cost any more postage than one large bulky envelope that's apt to arouse curiosity, especially if you mail or receive a lot of them! They may be a little more trouble to address, but they'll cause us a lot less trouble in the long run.

6. MAKE SURE THE CONTENTS are folded so as to completely fill the envelope from top to bottom for example, in thirds instead of in fourths.

7. PLEASE WATCH YOUR MAILINGS, PARTICULARLY CASH, cheques or security mailings! Always be sure they are wrapped in two or three pieces of paper & stapled & enclosed in double envelopes for security, print clearly on the front of the envelope the name & address of the person to whom you are sending it & be sure you use the right amount of postage—better too much than not enough, and if necessary write your return address very small on the back of the envelope, not on the front.

8. IF YOU ARE CARRYING, POSTING OR SENDING SECURITY MATERIALS, particularly across borders‚ such as our books or lit, sometimes it helps to gift-wrap them. Only the cruelest inspector would tear open a gift package. If he asks what's in it, just tell him: Booklets, magazines or books for a friend. Even if he still tears it open, at least you tried, but normally he won't bother. Always pray.

9. ALSO, PLEASE WHEN POSTING PACKAGES through the mail, most countries require a custom declaration slip to be pasted on the package‚ describing its contents & the value of each item. If you do not have such a slip available, at least write on the outside of the package what's in it, such as "used clothing", "used books"‚ "used toys", etc.

10. YOU MUST USE THIS WORD "USED" [if that is indeed the case], as some new items are subject to payment of customs or duties, but seldom have we ever had them open a package marked in this suggested way and hardly ever have we had to pay any duties on the same. After all‚ customs has a right to know what you're sending into their country & that it is not illegal or dangerous or subject to tariffs.

11. BE COOPERATIVE & save him the trouble of having to open it to find out. Label it clearly somewhere on the front of the package, usually at the top between the return address & the stamps or anywhere there is room to print in large letters. Please save yourself & us & customs a lot of trouble by clearly labeling the contents of the package on its cover. Thanks.

12. TRAVELERS: WHEN CHECKING YOUR LUGGAGE as accompanying baggage so that you do not have to carry it yourself on the bus or train or plane, please be sure that it has your name & address or at least your destination plainly marked on the outside of the bags with either stickers or name tags, which most of the transportation services are happy to furnish freely.

13. THIS IS NOT THE BAGGAGE CHECK TAG which the agent himself attaches to your luggage. It is an additional personal tag you put on it yourself so that if it should get lost they'll know where it is supposed to go & to whom. In fact, it is very unlikely that it will get lost if you'll make sure to do this.

14. IT IS ALSO WISE TO PASTE A LABEL INSIDE the lid of your bag with your name & address & phone number if possible, for definite secure identification in case of loss. The Family has lost untold numbers of bags by their failure to do this, particularly at transfer points where the agent failed to check it all the way through & therefore nobody knows where it is supposed to go from there.

15. BE SURE YOU NOTICE WHAT LABEL HE'S PUTTING ON the handle & that it bears the right destination & not just some transfer point in between. But better yet,

16. BE SURE YOU HAVE LABELLED IT YOURSELF as well, with your name & address tags, so if it gets stuck somewhere they'll know where it is supposed to go. Please help the poor baggage men. Baggage rooms are full of lost luggage, perhaps some of yours. If you want to see your luggage again‚ label it yourself.

17. ALSO, IF YOU'RE CARRYING A PIECE OF LUGGAGE FOR SOMEONE ELSE, be sure they have told you what is in it or given you an inventory of its contents so you can tell customs or even the lost & found department what is in it. The Family has lost lots of valuable luggage thru' this kind of slipshod carelessness & laziness in not labelling luggage. Don't let it happen to you! Don't be a luggage-loser!—Disgusted Dad.

18. DEAR SECRETARIES & TYPISTS—PARTICULARLY FINAL-TYPISTS for our various publications! Please do not waste space at the ends of lines by failing to fit a whole word or part of a word there because you're in too big a hurry to divide it! If you don't know how, learn how from your dictionary, Pls.!

19. I HAVE PROVEN TO SOME OF OUR TYPISTS that in one of our eight-page publications you can waste as much as an entire half–page of space by failing to fill in the ends of your lines, and that is a real waste!

20. "SQUEEZE, DON'T JERK!" "Stop, Look & Listen!"—& the Lord will help you learn how to divide those syllables & not waste His precious space, paper, printing‚ time, work, money & most of all, not lose precious words because of wasted space.

21. IT IS BETTER TO RUN OVER THE LINE of the printing area than to fall so far short of it. Falling short is missing the mark‚ and that's sin! Please fill in those lost spaces at the end of your lines if you possibly can, & you can if you'll think & pray & try!