POST OFFICE TO START ‘POST EARLY’ DRIVE FOR XMAS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 65, 18 November 1949, Page 5

POST OFFICE TO START ‘POST EARLY’ DRIVE FOR XMAS

In an endeavour to have all Christmas mail delivered by Christmas the post office has now commenced a “post early” campaign throughout New Zealand, acecrd ...lg to advice received by the postmaster at Whakatane, Mr G. A. Wilkes. In the period just before Christmas the mail handled increases tremendously and often the post office is not able to deliver in time because of the late posting. Based on the figures for previous years it is expected at the Whakatane Post Office that about 40,000 letters and over 30,000 greeting cards and parcels will be handled and, unless these are posted well before the holidays, there is a possibility that some of them may not be delivered in time. Huge Increase

At the same time, both incoming and outgoing telegrams show a big increase. All this means long working hours for the Post Office staff over the Christmas week. The starting time on the busiest days is 5 a.m., and work continues until after midnight. This in spite of the extra assitance frotn schoolboys and other Sources.

Because of the lack of space in the Whakatane Post Office it is difficult working at any busy period, but at Christmas there is often not the space to hold all ,the packets and parcels, which fill over 1000 bags. The “post early” campaign is now getting under. way, and it is hoped that it will succeed in helping the staffs to handle the anticipated 65,000,000 articles expected in the post before Christmas. In addition to more widespread newspaper advertising, special posters will be issued.

Posters on the theme “Shop Early—Post Early” distributed from Wellington in co-operation with the New Zealand Retailers’ Federation for display in large shops all over New Zealand will also be displayed in post offices.