WAR MAILS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2554, 31 August 1915, Page 6

WAR MAILS

PROM NEW ZEALAND TO EGYPT SOME HEAVY FIGURES In answer to a request made to the local Postal authorities respecting the mails'-dispatched from New Zealand weekly to our forces in the Mediterranean, somo astonishing records have been brought to light, showing . the amount of pressure that has been brought upon the postal service in New Zealand (and, Wellington in particular), and also on those whoso duty it is to distribute the mails from the Base Headquarters in Egypt. The figures take in. the mails dispatched each week over a period of three .'months. It will be noticed how steadily the number of bags and the weight of mail matter has increased right up till Thursday last—the last mail of August. The following are the mails sent forward during Juii®, JuJy, and August:— Weigh t Weight of No. of of .other Beg. Date of : No. of lettera articles .ardispatch. . bags, (lb;) ■ (lb.) tides, i June 4, 1915 ■ ' 93 614 !' • 4,930 . 186 June 10 ........... 99 . 660 5,195 112 June 18 143 880 7,663 tM Juno 25 ; j 144 848 3,373 180 July 1 179 . 825 , 9,487 148 July 9 ......... 216 1,081 10,008 161 July 15 140 , 945.' 7,287 164 July 24 245 1,393 14,027 276 July 29 176 : 853 .... 9,747 , 214 August 5 195 963 10,393 . 237 August 1? 239 1,145 13,299 803 iu-ust 19 ...... .210 1,376 " 11,995 307 August 26 ...... 261 1,664 13,421 341 Totals 13,287 125,823 - 2,713 . Tons of Paroels. The following will give an idea of the: number, of- parcels that go forward to tho Dominion's, soldiers each week. In the case of the smaller figures it will be noted that they occur on those occasions wheii two or more mails are dis-. patched the same week. The figures arc as under:— Datc of No. of Weight of Dispatch. \ Parcels. Parcels. lbs. ■ . June 2 243 . 597 June a 697 1595 June 17 . 891 1146 July 6 : 1665 3806 July 6 40 98 1 July 10 534 1341 July 15 ............ . 661 1775 July 17 ..V...;..; -271 698. * July 19 . 83 • 197 . ' July 24 :.... 960 2796 July 24.. 84 253 " 'July 29 435 1324 August 3 211 726 s ■ August 5 1422 4152 • August 5 695 i 2081. . August 6 ........ 107 359 August 7 ,135 ■ I 394 .-August 9 145 420 'August 14 ....... 1508 4469 V August 19 ... 1941 ; 6277August 26 ....... 2433 . 6822 . Totals. ..... 15,191 41,326 More Paroels Than for the United Kingdom. It will be seen from the above figures that on Thursday *last 2433 parcels .were dispatched to' Egypt weighing 68221b. For the. sake of comparison -the parcel post accumulated in New Zealand between August 14 and 26 (two days short of a fortnight) and'dispatched cer Tninui on the latter date consisted of 543 parcels weighing 21701b. It is pretty safe to conclude .that never in its his- ■ tory has so much mail matter been forwarded to; Egypt, 1 and never have our weekly mails been so Tleavy as '.hey .no to-day. The big demand has meant an increase in the local mail-room staff, whilst at the same time tho staff has lost some of its'best men owing to the ■war. ■ ■■ . '