BULKY MAILS

Evening Star, Issue 20058, 26 December 1928, Page 2

BULKY MAILS

CHRISTMAS AT THE G.P.O. THE POSTMAN'S WEIGHTY BURDEN Sorting the Christmas mails is the biggest and longest job of the year in. the Post Office, and for days before the festive season the staff is required to work at high pressure. For several days prior to Christmas Eve a continuous stream of mail bags from almost every part of the world flowed into the Chief Post Office at Dunedin, the sorters, messengers, postmen, van drivers, and everyone on the staff having a very strenuous time. The busy period did not end till late on Christmas Eve. The work was rendered more strenuous than usual by the receipt of over 100 bags of United Kingdom and Australian mail, which were landed from the Manuka at Bluff early on Monday morning, these reaching the Dunedin G.P.O. about mid-day on Monday. In delivering this and the local mails which had been coming in all the time, Die postmen had a trying time, their work in many cases not being finished till very late on Monday night. Officials of the Post Office report that the number of mail bags handled by the staff this Christmas period was just as heavy as the previous Christmas. The returns showed that there was a slight increase in the number of packets posted. As regards the number of mail _ bags received and despatched during the four days prior to Christmas Day, there was a decrease as compared with the number handled during the same period last year. This decrease made no difference as regards the actual work of the mailroom and parcels branch, as it was explained that an increased number of small packages were posted this year, which required more handling, and the actual number of articles bandied was equal, if not more, than the number posted last year. With such a huge total of small articles posted, a smaller number of hampers was required to accommodate them. In all departments-at the Dunedin. Post Office the business transacted was very heavy on December 21, 22, and 24, more especially last Friday afternoon and evening. Four officers were kept going at top speed for hours receiving packages over the counter and selling stamps. The volume of business transacted at the Moray Place Post Office was also exceptionally heavy on Friday. Thousands of letters and small packets were posted during the day, and it was found necessary to clear the receiving boxes every hour to keep the piles of letters and packages from overflowing the boxes. The same busy period was experienced in all the suburban offices. Small packages of all shapes, numbering thousands, were posted at the General Post Office and all suburban offices last Friday afternoon and evening. The following table shows the number of mail hags and parcel receptacles received during the four-day period, together with the number received during the corresponding periods of 1926 and 1927;

The following table shows the number of hags and parcel receptacles despatched during the four-clay period, together with the number despatched during the corresponding .period last year:—■

The following table shows the number of bags and receptacles handled in transit to other places, together with the number handled during the corresponding period of 192 G and 1927 : —■

The following table shows the number of parcels actually posted at the Dunedin Post Office from December 17 to December 22; and also the figures for the corresponding period last year:—

The above figures show that the increase in the number of parcels posted during the six-dav period this year was 567.

1926. 1927. 1928. 1,009 1,174 937 978 1,116 924 1,0-29 974 979 801 1,012 968 3,937 4,270 3,808

1926. 1927. 1928. ] ,056 1,056 1,085 1.044 1,190 1,041 915 1,035 904 91.3 904 864 3,950 4,185 3,894

192(5. 1927. 1928. 194 28 r, 298 210 :m 187 20). :m 214 j 31 182 226 n 36 1,139 925

1928. 1927. Doc. ]7 ... 982 Dec. 19 ... 1,157 Dec. 18 ... 1,290 Dec. 20 ... 1,550 Dec. 19 ... 1,127 Dec. 21 ... 1,204 Dec. 20 ... 1,410 Dec. 22 ... 1,208 Dee. 21 ... 1,281 Doe. 2,3 ... 1,049 Dec. 22 7.38 Dec. 24 ... .324 Total • *« 7,229 Total G.C62