HEAVIEST MAILS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 304, 23 December 1940, Page 6

HEAVIEST MAILS.

PEAK IN AUCKLAND.

FLOOD OF TELEGRAMS.

As if in defiance of the war, the spirit of Christmas has had full expression in Auckland during the past week, and nowhere more than in the posting and distribution of seasonal gifts and greetings. In post office circles it is generally agreed that the maiU are heavier than a year ago, and ttic Bood of pan-els, card* and telegrams still continued in full volume to-day. "Telegrams are pouring in all tne time," said an executive member of the post office staff this morning, "and the number of messages is getting deeper and tleeiHT. We expect the jicak will be reached to-morrow, and every available telc«raphist from suburban and other stations is being called upon to help in dealing with the traffic." To-day's telegrams were nearly all for New Zealand circulation, although there were Ktill a few for the Expeditionary Forces overseas. The of the s|H>cial concession rate for greetings did not appear to be a great deterrent, and the impression was that many people had developed the habit of sending lastininutc messages instead of card-. Queues were formed at the telegraph counters early thU morning, and wore maintained throughout the day.

Many thousands of messages for the troops were sent away last week, but the number received from overseas has been somewhat smaller. Possibly the active service conditions which have developed in the Egyptian western desert have had the effect of reducing the flow. Absence of Overseas Mails. In coping with the flood of mails, the post ollice ha«> been helped by freedom from heavy deliveries from overseas at the peak of the rush. In past years, shipping service made it jK»s»ible for gifts and correspondence to I.e timed to arrive in the Dominion within a few days of Christmas, but this year the position in different. Also, the difficulties and hardships of the people in Kuglnud have prevented the sending of gifts on the pre-war scale. Between Xew Zealand and America and Australia the air mails have, to some extent, taken the place of deliveries by ship, and this has made the traffic steadier. Possibly some of the American mail intended to reach the Dominion for Christmas will arrive during the holiday season and be delivered before the Xew Year.

'"Heavier than last year" is the view of postmen in the mails branch of the post ollice. However, it was stated to-day that the traffic had been spread over a long period, which had considerably assisted the staffs. On Saturday tli« heaviest mnils were carried by postmen in the Kpeoni and Remuera district*, and the jK.siti<m was no easier to-day. Schoolboys enrolled for temporary duty helped to relieve the pressure.