HEAVY MAILS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 21, 23 December 1938, Page 7

HEAVY MAILS.

POSTMEN’S BUSY CHRISTMAS. Handling probably the heaviest mail in its history the Post Office at Palmerston North has experienced a really phenomenal Christmas, and it will lie a fatigued body of mail-room officials and postmen who go off duty ■ tonight after working double shifts all the week in coping with the record volume of mail. It was' so heavy today that only one delivery could be made and, with a big last-minute rush expected to-morrow, - there will again be only the one delivery. Business in the telegraph section has also been heavy and to-day an augmented staff had to cope with what gave indications of being a record number of messages.

“It is fortunate indeed that both in the postal and telegraph sections the business has been spread over the week,” said the chief postmaster (Mr A. N. Wallace) to a “Standard” reporter to-day. “Thanks to newspaper publicity the people seem to • have seen the wisdom of posting early,” he added, “and although there will be a last-minute rush—that will never be avoided—it will not be of such proportions that it cannot be coped with.”

In the ,mail-room yesterday 480 mail bags and 164 parcel receptacles were received, and 4SB bags and 181 receptacles despatched. On the same day last year 493 bags receptacles were received and 473 bags and 151 receptacles despatched. Telegraphic business has been evenly spread over the week. Yesterday was a particularly busy day, but the peak figure's will not reached until today and to-morrow. Yesterday 1251 messages were despatched and 1480 received, while 800 were handled in

transit. The expeditious delivery and despatch of matter has only been possible through the unremitting work of the staff, who, regardless of long hours of duty, have maintained the high traditions of the service.