NO HOLIDAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 77, 24 December 1907, Page 9

NO HOLIDAY.

CHRISTMAS IX THE POST OFFICE. . Post Ofiico workers yesterday woro liko bees α-swnrm. Well is it for them that "Christmas conies but onco a year." Tho Christmas mail is no light thing to handle. Eighteen hundred parcels of nil' shapes and sizes, brought from England by.the Paparoa, made a small mountain with several hillocks on tho lloor of one department, when a Dominion representatives looked in at 0116 o'clock. Ono hundred and fifty-eight bags of newspapers and letters by the Talune made work for other rapid hands, and, in addition, were the local mails, themselves sufficient task to employ tho usual staff for a full day. Work must be done quickly, deftly, and must all bo done before tho morrow. Tho morrow, which is now to-day, will bring still greater hulk of work. Is not the SVimmcra duo from Sydney with 120 bags of mails, and will not the local tide increase in volumo as the auspicious season draws more near?

The Paparoa's parcels were an awesome sight—landed in 521 receptacles between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10.15. Each parcel had to be ticketed, then tho Customs officers would overhaul them all, invoicing and assessing duty; next they would have to be divided up according to , the towns that wero their destinations, then listed and transferred to send away. Oversea parcels for Ilawko's'' Bay; Taranaki, Wostland, Nelson, and Marlborougharc included in this mountain, -as well .'as tlioso for Wellington city and province, which fill 221 receptacles .out of the total of 521. Parcels for Auckland, Canterbury, and.Otago mercifully come in separate boxes, and are not opened at this office. One hundred and ninety-eight boxes and bags went South by the Maori last evening, and 98 more left for Auckland. Pouring In. . In another room woro hundreds of local parcels, only the first fruits of the day's great:harvest, which would not pour in in its greatest volume until after 2 p.m. "Then tho scono at a bargain salo will bo nothing to our front office," tho Pressman was assured. And it was not. In yet another room wero 158 bags from tho Tain no, of which 133 held English papers, and 25 held letters. One hundred bags wero for Wellington city and province, and the rest were " forward "—that is/destined for adjacent provinces. Also to ho dealt with wero 55 bags of Australian and.2o of Con-tinental-mails. If timo allowed, tho picture-postcard which prompts pleased ejaculations Irom so many lair recipients might bring other ejaculations to the lips of sorters. Tho postcard must not bo, submitted to the rudo date stamp which brands abont a thousand letters ovory minute, for that'-might spoil the picture. Tho London Post Offico has not time to separate its postcards from its letters when it forwards them, though the Australian offices very kindly do so. Therefore, in the case of postcards coming from London, precious hours are. wasted separating them from- among the piles of letters, which pass through tho. many stamping machines at lightning rate. As to tinsel-covered postcardsj the Department has washed its hands

of them entirely—partly, wo understand, because poison is thought to como off tho tinsel—and though, in spite of warnings, people persist in posting them, they do not got beyond the office. , , , nil these letters and postcards are dated they require a lingo amount of sorting before they are ready for the postmen and private boxes. In tho dating and sorting room, which is utterly.-inadequate to .tho amount of business. G5 men were working ■yesterday in a torrid atmosphere. Local correspondence is first sorted according to throe main divisions, Thorndon, To Aro'and Wellington. South. Each pile is then further sorted out according to the rounds of letter-carriers, and each carrier sort? again his own allotment according to the streets and sub-streets. Twice a day letter-carriers come in and do their sorting prior to/starting on tho round. Usually', the operation' takes an hour; yesterday it required two hours; more time may bo needed r to-day.' Some Figures. , Thero were delivered yesterday morning by tho Wollington letter-carriers 20,369 letters, 17,071 postcards, 0093 book pnekets, 3392 papers, and 130 ■, parcels. The figures were slightly larger in. tho afternoon. : In another room aro the 'provincial letters from the Talunoj all of which must go forward the same day. All tho time tho public is crowding up the stono stops in front of tho Post Office with missives of affection and remembrance, which they already see, in imagination, bringing light to the eyes of welcoming kinsfolk. Thero is much to bo dono first. Half a dozen small boys, "powder monkeys " scoop thorn up in baskets as they fall and boar them to the stampers. Ordinarily thero arc two staffs at tho Post Office. Ono works'from 5 a.m. till 1 p.m. and the other from 1 p.m. till 10 p.m. But yesterday tho second staff commenced two hours boforo tho usual time, and did not leave off earlier. The morning'staff went on again till work was finished. To-night with luck and management, will sco the bulls of tho. big Christmas mail disposed of, bnt : oven while tho churches hold ■ their services on Christmas morning a proportion of tho postal men will bo working tin tho ..mail that comes up by tho Southern : steamer, preparing it for despatch by .northern trains.