CHRISTMAS MAILS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 23, 23 December 1932, Page 7

CHRISTMAS MAILS.

HEAVY VOLUME HANDLED. PEAK OF' RUSH. Following upon a steady increase in the volume of letters and packages to be handled, the Christmas mail rush has reached its peak at Palmerston North, and practically all this week a doubled staff has been engaged in sorting and distribution, for promptitude of despatch is the first objective of the Post Office. Mail handled at the railway station depot yesterday, including inwards and outwards loads for this centre and all matter transhipped for other places, comprised 1424 bags and 454 parcel receptacles. The mail-room at the Post Office presents an exceptionally busy scene at present, and is piled high with bags and hampers. Sorters are working at full pressure, and the rush is equally as great as in previous years. More work has fallen upon the circulating staff at this centre since the abolition of sorting vans on the expresses. Large quantities of mail are changed here from various trains for their destination, and Palmerston North is really the distributing centre for the Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and Wairarapa sections of the postal service. The bulk of outwards correspondence and parcels had been dealt with to-day but the inwards mail is at the peak. An exceptionally heavy Christmas mail, comprising over ItOO bags and 500 parcels receptacles direct from Loudon, arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday. First-class mail matter which landed at Auckland at 4 p m. that day, reached its destination in Palmerston North homes within 24 hours. To-day the second-class mail matter was distributed. Another English mail will reach this centre on Boxing Day. . , , , Some of the postmen are assisted by boys on bicycles, while early in the morning the van departs with overflow bags which are deposited at suitable places on the route to assist distribution and avoid the necessity for the postmen to return to tho mailThree ’planes will be discharging or picking up air mail at- Milson aerodrome to-morrow, Palmerston North having, by reason of its geographical position, become the most important centre in the Dominion for controlling this service.