BUSY TIME

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 154, 28 December 1936, Page 9

BUSY TIME

P. AND T. OPERATORS

THOUSANDS OF TELEGRAMS

There are some for whom Christmas spells a slackening off in work or no work at all, but this is far from being the position for other sections of workers. Into this latter category come those engaged in the postal and telegraphic departments of the main post offices. An idea has already been given of the quantity of mail matter and parcels handled at the Chief Post Office, . Wellington. The postmen, sorters, and all others in the mailroom had a very busy time of it, and so, too, did the telegraph operators, who received and dispatched thousands of telegrams, which in turn meant solid going for the telegraph messengers. Checked returns of the volume of telegraphic business handled in Wellington were not available today, but approximate figures had been taken out, and they speak for themselves. On December 23, 9060 telegrams were handed in over the counter at the Chief Post Office, Wellington; 14,214 were received by the operators for local delivery, and there were 25,839 transmits—telegrams received for onward dispatch. As transmits involve receiving and dispatch, each is really two telegrams, so that the transmits handle 1 at the Wellington office on December 23 were the. equivalent of over fifty thousand telegrams. The rush of telegrams was ( even heavier, on Christmas Eve. The telegrams received over the counter at the Chief Post Office totalled 12,311; 11,707 were lodged at suburban offices, and 27,128 were received for local delivery. There were 13,740 telegrams for delivery in suburban areas, and the transmits for onward transmission reached the figure of 45,990. Altogether on this day over 110,000 messages were handled. .