The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-14
Express Company Wants The Public to Bear
something in Mind
(Richmond Dispatch.)

(Richmond Dispatch)
''Why will people wait SO long to ship
their Christmas parcels?' said Mr.. Wal
ter Ruckner, manager for the Southern
Express Company in this city, yesterday
Everybody seems to want to send their
gifts at the last minute. The result IS,
they find the express people so over
whclmcd with work it is utterly impossi-
bic to get packages through on time, and
presents are delayed"
The following from the New York
Telegram illustrates pretty accurately
the situation among expressmen at
Christmas tide.
''If women don't get their Christmas
packages ready and in our hands several
days earlier than they have in previous
seasons they must not expect us 10 de-
liver them until several days afterWard.
This is the direful prediction of the large
express companies, which become so
great q factor to domestic pleasure at
this season of the year.
The general agent for one of the
largest said today that every effort
would be made, however, to deliver the
precious bundles on time.
''You have no idea" said he, "of the
amount of business we do on Christmas
and a few days before and after.
1--WE could give our men little rest
on that day and have all the gifts deliver
ed if the women would only help us out
by sending their parcels earlier.
1T is necessary to hire a great many
green men to handle the holiday bust
ness.
Fully ten per cent. of our traffic de-
partment employees are green men dur
ing that period. These new hands are
not familiar with the work and delay
it considerably. OF course, you under
stand that the business just before
Christmas is composed mainly of holiday
gifts.
This means, With very few exceptions,
that there will be only one package to
be delivered in each house, which entails
many times as much work as is required
in the handling of the express packages
of large firms, where a dozen or more
packages can be delivered at once.
"In the ordinary commercial business
the addresses are familiar to the driver,
Christmas packages we take all over to
strange places.
although there is a great rush of bus
mess around Christmas, the percentage
of profits for the eXpressmen is not so
great as at other times, because of the
increased cost of handling and extra
help But despite this we are always
ready to accept the business, and only
ask that the packages be given TO us
long enough ahead TO avoid rush at
the last moment and delay which is
sometimes unavoidable.
"At Cristmastide it takes twenty-four
hours longer to deliver a package than
at any other time
Many women think that if they send
their Christmas presents too long before
that day the packages will be opened.
Such an occurrence would conflict with
years of custom. To intimate to the re-
cipients of Christmas gifts by express
that the package or packages contain
gifts unique poster has been prepared
by several of the express companies
which reads:
do not open until Christmas"
This. the officers of the express COM
panies think, will have a tendency to in
duce shippers to get their Christmas
packages away carly. Extraordinary
efforts have been made by the express
companies to reduce the rush as far as
possible, and special instructions have
been issued to their agents and others
interested to handle the forwarding and
delivery of all packages with the great
est alacrity.