CHRISTMAS EVE CROWDS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16836, 27 December 1928, Page 6

CHRISTMAS EVE CROWDS

GLADSTONE ROAD THRONGED RETAILERS WELL SATISFIED It was anticipated that business during the last two days before Christmas would be brighter than has been, the case in past years, and in this Gisborne shopkeepers were not disappointed. Both on Saturday and again on Monday there were large crowds in the town, and they were buying freely. In some cases Saturday was equal to any Christmas Eve, while Monday was even better for business, and it is thought that not for many years have the two days prior to Christmas yielded such good results. With all traffic off Gladstone„road between Grey street and the Post Office, the public filled the whole roadway, while under shop verandahs progress through the dense mass of people was slow. Shops were kept busy right up till closing time, and bus and tram services were fully taxed to cope with the numbers of passengers offering. While many were bent on making last-minute purchases, the crowd as a whole was in holiday mood, and all manner of strange noises rent the air. Even long after most of the shops had closed their doors the crowd continued to parade the street making the most of their Christmas Eve. MORE TELEGRAMS HANDLED While the majority of the public was in carnival mood, and later when the majority were asleep, there was feverish haste at the Post Office, where they telegraphic staff was handling more messages than was the case last Christmas Eve, and it was 6 o’clock on Christ - ms morning before the augmented staff of operators was released from duty. In all 1706 more messages were handled than on the same day last year, while the faulty nature of the line to Auckland delayed progress. Official figures indicate that in all 7809 messages were received and despatched over the wires, and as 1744 of these were telegrams that had to be received for retransmission to other centres the business equalled nearly 10,000 messages. Ordinary telegrams forwarded totalled 2470 on Christmas Eve, as against 1986 last year, while ordinary telegrams received numbered 2509, compared With 1795 last year. Transmitted telegrams, which mean double handling, increased by over 200, 1744 being dealt with on Alonday, as against 1513 on the former occasion. Toll calls received aggregated 602, and those outward 401, the figures for last year being 458 and 300 respectively. Through toll calls numbered 83, 48 being the total for last Christmas EVe. So many people were absent from their homes on* Christmas Eve that telegraph messengers found it impossible to deliver many of the telegrams, with the result that approximately 1000 messages were held over for delivery on Christmas day. A little of the Christmas mail for Gisborne has not yet arrived. Twentylive parcel bags for Gisborne were sent from Auckland by the Gunbar on Saturday. but the vessel made for Napier direct, and the mail matter she is carrying will not be received here till tomorrow. Had the Gunbar made direct for Gisborne many more parcels may have been delivered here on Christmas Eve.