GIFT SEASON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1937, Page 9

GIFT SEASON.

DEAD LETTER OFFICE. DISTRIBUTION PROBLEM. HUNDREDS OF STRAY PACKETS In the season of goodwill, when the pleasant habit of exchanging presents is at its height, the Post Office prepares for a rush and prides itself on the prompt delivery of thousands of these tokens. At the same time experience prompts it nearly to double the staff of the Dead Letter Office in Wellington, because many packets, a comparatively small proportion of the enormous number of Christmas gift postings, will be insufficiently or wrongly addressed, and the Dead Letter Office in Wellington is the only section of the Department authorised to open communications for the purpose of ascertaining any further detail which may lead to delivery or return to the sender. Nearly every newspaper in New Zealand published just before the Christmas shopping rush a reminder that the Post Office does not object to packages at the cheap rates, including a clear indication of the sender's name and address. But despite this precaution, the Dead Letter Office became busy as soon as Christmas presents began to circulate. Hundreds of packages were put into the post to addresses which either did not exist or were inadequate. In these cases the packages came promptly to the Dead Letter Office, where the strengthened 6taff was able to act promptly, and, if sufficient information was available, to return them to the senders. However, when the end of the busy time came, the office shelves held over a thousand packages of handkerchiefs and similar small prese:.ts wrongly addressed and showing such vague indications of origin ae "From Bill." These can neither be delivered nor returned to the senders. There were ovei 900 larger parcels similarly derelict witb

ino chance of delivery. However, (lie' Dead Letter Office staff liad the satis-i faction of finding within various pack- 1 ages sufficient information to return to I the senders at 2."i per c*nt of t hose I which came back flora tlie postman after a vain search for the intended i recipients.