OVERSEAS CHRISTMAS MAILS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3708, 18 December 1912, Page 5

OVERSEAS CHRISTMAS MAILS.

ALL RECORDS ECLIPSED

SURPRISING AUCKLAND FIGURES.

[PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM]

AUCKLAND, Dec. .17

Thousands of Christmas greetings to the people of New Zealand from relatives and friends overseas swelled the mail brought by the 1 Maltura to-day to huge proportions. It comprised the largest quantity of mail matter ever landed at Auckland collected from every part of the United Kingdom, from Europe, the United States and Canada. The big mail amounted to 973 bags, of which the letter portion was roughly double the usual quantity brought by' the Vancouver steamer. It easily eclipsed the previous record of Home mail received in Auckland via the Suez route last Christmas, which amounted to 862 bags. More than half the postal- matter in the mail was addressed to Auckland, the actual quantity being 516 bags. When the postal officials went aboard the M’akura they found their labors greatly lightened by the manner in which the officers of tho steamer had anticipated their difficulty. As the vessel was approaching port a start was made with the work of collecting the mail jrom the many parts of the ship in which it had been towed in readiness for landing. By the time the harbor was reached the whole shipment was stacked on deck and the shore staff were able to convey it to the sorting rooms with a minimum expenditure of labor and time. There was no difficulty in getting the southern portion away at midday without delaying the express. This morning the Malwa will bring 115 bags of Australian mails and another large English and Australian mail will arrive by the Marama on Friday. Mails going outwards from Auckland are much heavier _ than, in any previous Christ as period and fully double the size of the usual mails.