HELP THE POST OFFICE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 16, 16 December 1937, Page 16

HELP THE POST OFFICE.

IN THE CHRISTMAS RUSH.

FACTS ABOUT DECEMBER TASKS.

The Post Office is approaching the biggest rush period of the year, and its stafi of over ten thousand cheerfully faces the prospect with many indications that existing records of big business will be broken, ilns is a timely moment to ask for the co-op-eration of its customers, in their own interest, so that all the mails can be delivered well up to time. Early posting is therefore stressed. Mail trains are filled to capacity at holiday time, and there is a limit to the weight of mail matter which can be carried. lor this reason it is sometimes found necessary to send some of the secondclass mail particularly the small packets by a later train or by express goods, which reduces the Post Office opportunity of dejivering Christmas presents in good time, unless eni iy posting has provided a fair margin to cover exceptional circumstances. It is not only the overloaded postman who is busy just now. Every branch of the big organisation feels the stress of exceptional demand tor Post Office services, and some indication of the immense turn-over prior to Christmas can be gleaned by last year’s details of four phases of the business at the four chief centres, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. In the six working days prior to Christmas, 1936, these four offices, in addition to many other important tasks, did the following business:—Stamp sales, £11,219; parcels posted, 69,565; mail bags forwarded, 24,373. r The weight of the mails forwarded was estimated at 544 tons. There are also the inward mails to be delivered, and the arrivals prior to Christmas will be as -follow;—l3th December, Wellington, Awatea, Australian and English; 13th December, Auckland, Monterey, Australian and English; 13th December, Auckland, Niagara, English and American; 16th December Wellington, llangitanc, English; 17th December, Auckland, Strathaird, Australian; 20th December, Auckland Awatea, Australian, English air mail’; 22nd December, Wellington, Wanganella,' Australian ; 23rd December, Auckland, Orford. Australian; 24th December, Auckland, Mariposa, English and American. During this busy month the officers of the department expect to handle savings bank business running into millions. For December, 1936, withdrawals totalled £2.641.239, and the deposits £2,649)410. and they arc not likely to show a decline on the piesent occasion. Tho Post Office facilities for trans-

mission of money are particularly useful at the festive season and last December—excluding what was issued- - the Post Office paid out on money orders, postal notes, and British postal orders a total of £480,225 in cash. Just during the last few days, because here the#instant promptitude of the telegraph is so valuable, the department will be handling the special Christmas and'New Year greetings telegrams which last year numbered 341,624.