CHRISTMAS MAILS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1632, 26 December 1912, Page 7

CHRISTMAS MAILS.

'.. WORK OF. THE POSTAL MEN. .■•■;■-. --.-.- .— — . • ,', ■ •_■' PASSING OP'THE CARD CUSTOM. . The men in the mail-rooms at the Post ! Office have come through their' annual 'ordeal of the Christmas rush, and come through, it with a very great deal, of .'credit. The custom ■of sending Christmas •.greetings and , Christmas .gifts to absent .friends and, relatives is a pleasant divsr- . sion for tho ordinary citizen, but -inorder to enable',hiin to do.it the Post Office 'men have to work in a perfect frenzy for days. Christmas to them is i"nightmare.. This year they have had better quarters in which. to; do some or their, work, and the accumulation of mail' matter has never been so apparent or so. /distressing as.it lias been in some former SwsV. but the alterations to the old building' are not yet completed, and in some of the rooms the hard work has had to be done.under conditions by. no means comfortable. . ,'.' . , •'.-■.- A. count is, taken eaoh year of tho nuiri-. ■ber of mail bags and hampers received 'and dispatched on the four working days immediately' preceding, Christmas .Day.. The total number inwards'for the four days in 1912 wn5 : 2739 bags and 669 ham.pers,: as against .3135 bags and 720 ham--.pers last year. ■ There'' were dispatched in-the same days'.3lsl bags and 1051 hampers, and last year the figures were 3385 • bags and 1020 hampers. Tho sale", of stamps in'the same periods was .£5382.65., 2d., as-against £1748 Ms. Bd.. last year.': The increase of:last year's receipts under. \his' head .was. and this year shows the further large increase of J2633 about last yearns total. :'-■ ■'; '.;~-'-' "The amount received for'.the sale ofBtnmps is the best indication-of the actual v/ork done," said Mr. C; Gannaway, .As-Bistant-Postmaster, to a Dominion;- rejjorter last night. "The totals I have given ;you show'.that we hayelhahdled about-300 ibagS-and hampers inwards and.outwards tfewer than last'.year,, but you-'must take Sntb;,consideration'',the.fact that.we.'have ■iad'.'no English mail, to deal with in/all 1 tho four days.,i The figures for. this year relate solely to New Zealand work;.. One English mail in;hnd-out would haveacoounted'for a total, of at least 500 more Snriil'receptacles. -And the work on these, - days does not represent by : any means all the' Christmas work;.We have been 'getting. ; it. for the' last ten days. . If; we had. had it all at the end we would have Tieon snowed 'up; but we, got a great deal of the work-early this'year... Yes. I must say", the staff did everything that was ■asked of them, and got through the work 'speedily. Only.-yesterday did we feel-the jPinch awkwardly, but wo had got rid of ithe bnlk: of the. work by'inid'day. "

"Tiie pictorial post-card and Christmas, card seems.'to be going but.of favour," .-'Mr.. .Gannaway added in answer to. a ;query. : "W.e'had a great iraniber of'plain; Sards conveying the season's greetings, but' five have, noticed a very large increase in. tho number of small' packages.. The silk ties, the silk hondkerchief, and little gifts 'have. very, .largely: taken, the place- of 'cards and. that'. sort .'of-thing' this year. the fine weather has allowed people to get'"'out to-make their purchases in comfort."';.'-'" ; ' ■.'.