MAIL NOTICES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 2, 4 January 1910, Page 4

MAIL NOTICES.

WEDIpSDA^ 5. Wfllingiion., Northern and Southern Offices: Per Takapuna, at 3.30 p.m. Nelson, Westport, Greymouth, and Hokitika: Per Pateena, at 3.30 p.m. THURSDAY, JANUARY 6. Wellington, Northern arid Southern Offices: Per Pateena, at 7.15 p.m. Australia (due in Sydney January 11), Tasmania, Ceylon, India Straits Settlements, and China; - also Continent of Europe and United Kingdom, via Suez (due in London February 13). Connecting with sis. — '-f, at Wellington: Per Pateena, at 7.15 p.m. ! ,

It is estimated that the amount of mail matter handled at tho Dunedin. Post Office during the week , ended Christmas Eve» easily established a record, says the Otago Daily Times. During that period 5970 bags and hampers of mails were dealt; with, 3221 receptacles were despatched, and 2749 received. Over the corresponding period of last year 5220 bags and hampers were handled—2633 forwarded and 2591 received—thus showing an all-round increase this year. The stamps sold during the week reached a total value of £1893 6s, as against £1214 7s 6d last year. To ; give an idea of the amount of matter which these totals represent, it may be stated that one business firm alone in Dunedin posted no fewer than 53,000 Christmas articles, all of which, of course, had to be stamped, sorted, and delivered; while one postman had to deliver over 2000 letters in one round. On Friday morning there was the biggest clearance from the pillar-boxes in the city and suburbs that has ever been experienced, the amount colleoted filling sixteen large mail-bags. One thing that was noticeable this Christmas was the fact that the ordinary picture post-card was not nearly so extensively used for the purpose of qonveying seasonable greetings as in the previou'r year, and as against this small packets *»,nd cards represented th© bulk of what! was handled. Naturally, the Post! Office staff had to face a very heavy task, with ,no additional assistance,. but, nevertheless, not a single mail connection was missed, nor had any mails to be held over until a later train through the staff not being able to. deal with it in time.