POSTAL RUSH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22917, 21 December 1937, Page 15

POSTAL RUSH

HEAVY BUSINESS NEW RECORDS EXPECTED MARKED INCREASE IN PARCELS EXTRA DELIVERY STAFF All, records for Christmas business promise to be broken by the Post and Telegraph Department this year, judged by the rush that set in yesterday. It started at the chief post office at eight o'clock in the morning, for when the doors were opened a waiting crowd moved in. Extra selling positions had been established for the sale of stamps, while in the vestibule an officer weighed parcels and packets and gave information of the amount of postage required. This procedure gave some relief to the staff at the counters, but, nevertheless, officers were required to work at high pressure. The volume of both inward and outward parcels was up by 25 per cent yesterday on the Monday" of Christmas week last year. While people besieged the parcel counters at the chief post office, the High Street office and the Wellesley Street office, actually the heaviest traffic was at the Albert Street office, which is used largely by business firms.

More Christmas Telegrams The rush of Christmas telegrams also set in yesterday, and in this instance also the volume was well ahead of that on tho corresponding Monday of last year. The postal delivery staff has been temporarily increased by 90, of whom 76 are secondary school boys. Most of tho extra staff assist the regular postmen. When on the rounds an assistant takes one side of the street only, and works under tho direction of the postr man, who takes the other side. On Saturday the department made two deliveries of mail in order to clear any accumulation, the second delivery keeping some postmen engaged untd 3.30 to 3.45 p.m.

Scene in Mail Room The chief idea in cleaning up the accumulation was to be in a position to deal promptly with the Awatea's mail yesterday, but, unfortunately, this was "landed "too late for the afternoon delivery, so that to-day's delivery of mail will be heavy. In the mail sorting room yesterday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. conditions were hectic, . for in addition to city and suburban postings a. heavy mail arrived about 6 p.m. from the north. It was noticeable that as a prelude to Christmas, the Post Office Savings Bank was also very busy, but this yesterday appeared to be confined to the withdrawal counters before which people stood thickly. Officers generally are not only facing the busiest week of the year,' but their luncheon period has had to be cut down by half, while a difficulty is to fit in that period.