European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cover Story Only so much zip with mail from Turkey to . By a Tel Jones staff writers amps Jim dry in this pile awaits sorting in Hanau  delays with magazines and Cata logs a complaint heard Over the years about the overseas postal system concerns magazines and Cata logs. Why do two consecutive issues of your favorite monthly Magazine arrive on the same Day How come some Cata logs Are already expired when delivered to your Mailbox partly because they arrive on a slow boat to Europe. But also because there Are myriad influences beyond the mail systems control. In the Case of magazines the finished contents of the Issue is contracted to a Printer who May or May not finish on deadline. Next there May be a separate organization responsible for Labling and mailing. Then there is the ground transportation system from the local postal facility through a regional bulk mail Center and on to the port bulk mail facility. All second third and fourth class mail goes to the new Jersey bulk mail Center in Bayonne where it is sorted by Apo or Fpo. Each major overseas Post office has its own Container which is transported overseas by boat and loaded on tractor Trail or rigs such As Sealand vans. Containers begin their voyage Only when full thus allowing time for two issues of a Magazine to arrive especially if one Issue is printed late and the next one printed Early. How slow is that boat from new Jersey to Europe Twenty nine Days from Bayonne to Germany according to a recent Survey said master sgt. Bob Franz of the 7025th air postal so at Ramstein a. Not bad considering a some of us old timers remember when it took 70 Days Quot he said. Upon arrival at the european ports the containers Are put on wheels and driven to the receiving Apo or Fpo. Not ail magazines Are considered second class. Weekly magazines a such As sports illustrated . News and world report and army Navy or air Force times a get special treatment. Called time value publications or tips these items Are flown overseas compliments of the department of def use. If late publications Are getting you Down there is one possible course of action. Many companies will agree to upgrade the mailing class to first class which ensures transportation overseas by air. But Don t be surprised if they Send you a Bill for the added expense. Crystal Laureano the . Postal services new mail system wont go far in finding a quicker method of getting mail from in Ciurlik a Turkey to the United states. Bad news because that a the problem customers complain most about. A we Are not Able to offer express mail service Here a said senior master sgt. Eugene Burroughs in Ciurlik Abs postmaster. Quot its not available because of a limited number of commercial flights out of Adana. If flights were constant five or six a Day then it would  in Ciurlik is about 10 Miles East of Adana turkeys fourth largest City. Mail leaving in Ciurlik a could very Well get bumped off the flight from Adana and not leave for two to three Days a Burroughs said. Quot already uses is busted. They would have to pay Back  Burroughs said besides the Normal gripes like Post office hours of operation most complaints Are a revelant to mail movement How can i get it there fast Why is it taking so Long to get Bills Why am i charged interest or a penalty for late  on Many occasions he provides letters to businesses verifying actual dates of receipt frequently on the Date the Bill is due he said. Burroughs said despite the new four line address system being a somewhat in its infant stage with a some glitches that Are slowing Down some pieces a letters have arrived in As Little As three Days. A we have the rare occasion to get mail in that a Long past due but for the most part its coming in pretty consistent Between seven and 10  previously first class mail averaged 10 to 12 Days he said. Eventually automated mail sorting equipment will electronically read the last two lines of the address for Quick sorting. A with All the automated equipment they will use to support the new system i can see the Standard going from seven to 10 Days to five to seven a Burroughs said. A a it a getting better. Companies Are starting to use the Correct address but we be got a few using the three lines versus the  however that some companies Are not including the organization is a not hurting anything because of pc postal service Center numbers a he said. Burroughs said when the . Postal service decided to adopt the four line address system it failed to realize that using a separate pc for each Apo a negated the need to have an organization. The organization identifies to which unit a person is assigned but with a pc assigned to every air Force base then mail would go there anyway a he said. Most in Ciurlik mail leaves the United states commercially from new York City Burroughs said. It flies from new York to either Germany or Istanbul. From Istanbul mail is flown via turkish airways to Adana. His staff makes daily mail runs to Adana. Military Airlift come mail is basically the same he said but most often departs Dover fab del., for Rhein main a Germany and then is airlifted to in Ciurlik. The zip code number changes which grouped similar Apo numbers by country cuts Back on excessive transit time for dissent mail Burroughs said getting the mail at least into the same country. A if a piece of mail is dissent nine times out of 10 it will be sent to a place within that Region. The transit time from Izmir is a lot less than from Germany a he said. Burroughs said postal centers Are compiling a problem list to present to uses. Uses in turn has four months to a work the bugs out of the system Quot he said. A the deadline is july 15.�?� a amps Mac howl Abram senior master sgt. Eugene Burroughs a a it a getting better a packaging a wide open system on his frequent visits to the Post office master sgt. Leru Eso Murray has grown accustomed to lugging his parcels unsealed and unwrapped. He does no to mind the unusual procedure set up for Security reasons. A i have no problem with it Quot said Murray a 7241st communication so maintenance superintendent. A i Send quite a few things Home books and things like that. Its  a postal clerk inspects every package that leaves the Post office at Izmir Turkey because it does no to have the capability of any of three tests a a bomb Detector decompression or a Ray unit a to inspect parcels said master sgt. Steve Waller who runs the Post office. The procedure started in january 1991 during the persian Gulf War Waller said and has continued Quot because Faa requires any mail flying on commercial air carriers be subject to one of those test. You can to blame  so the area set up in the Small Post office where customers wrap their goods after a postal clerks inspection will remain Waller said. Quot we done to like it any More than the customer a Waller said a but in order to keep the mail flowing we inspect each parcel to make sure there is no  Izmir Felt the Wrath of several terrorist bombs during the Gulf War. I a amps m1chal Abram master sgt. Leru Eso Murray shows what he a packing at the mall room id Izmir Turkey. Izmir is one of a few places where the military Airlift come is without a Ray capability Waller said. And although Mac carries most of its parcels a we can to differentiate Between parcels that Fly Mac or commercial air a so we Check each one a he said. All first class mail destined for Izmir travels commercially to Istanbul where it enters the nato unaccompanied bag system travelling by turkish air to Izmir Waller said. J1mi Jones Page 6 sunday March 22, 1992