The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-24
SANTA'S ASSIST ANTS
They Are All as Busy as They Can
Be Especially at the
Postofice.
Express Companies, Too, Are Over
worked store-Keepers Say
Crowds Are ''Spenders.'

Holiday business at the Minneapolis
postoffice beats all records Though eX-
act figures are not yet at hand. the bust
ness will be easily Is per cent greater
than for any former Christmas week. A
big increase in the amount of mail mat
ter handled Is reported not only from the
main office. but from all of sthe sub
stations One of these stations sent to
the main office Monday seventy Ave
pouches Of mail matter or 225 bushels.
There are three extra stamp clerks at the
main office. seven extra helpers doing
miscellaneous work. fifteen additional
men in the registry division, and twenty
substitutes reinforcing the regular car
riers.
From the four corners of the globe mail
packages are coming by the thousand to
| the people of this city. and the out
going mails are almost as heavily laden
with substantial Christmas greetings to
distant friends and relatives.
Even with achievements it is only by
keeping steadily at work day and night
that Postmaster w. ID. Hale's men can
begin to handle the big and little pack
ages that flow constantly in upon them
in bullying pouches. 49, =!
All day and all night men are pitch
ing packages into pouches destined for
outside points. AS fast as the outbound
mail Is sorted out, it is loaded into walt
| stations. Notwithstanding the unprece-
| dented rush. Mr.. Hale says that with a
| few unavoidable exceptions. the mail will
| be delivered on schedule time.
l. An idea of the amount. of local business
! may be had. from the fact that wagons
| loaded with presents are on the move un-
| ceasingly from the thirty-five substa lions
to the central office. The business has in
| creased to such an extent that but for the
| annex and the greatly Increased facilities
| for dispatching the mail. Mr.. Hale says,
| 1t would be impossible to handle it on
anything like satisfactory basis.
! go Express Companies Busy.
While Uncle Sam is playing Santa Claus
| to the best Of his ability the eleven ex-
press companies of Minneapolis are bur-
| dening every outgoing train with the com
pliments of the season. There was a
crush at every express office visited this
| morning. Even by greatly increasing
| their usual working forces, some of the
companies are unable to meet the <unpar.
alleled demands now made upon them.
Every delivery wagon for the big stores
| goods to all parts of the city. The stores
| have all arranged for additional nigh
/ service and wagons will be carrying pack
| ages until the early hours of Tomorrow
morning. Notwithstanding the assur
ance that presents will be delivered IL
| 6OOO SSdSOlI, HldHy SuOppeTS are uOlns
their own delivering rather, than tax,
l chances with belatcd delivery wagons.
7 "spenders" This Year.
1--WE always have large crowds a
Christmas time sa i'd the proprietor of on
I of the large stores, but it has been year
since we have, had SO many spender:
There are fewer people than formerly VIII
| come simply to stand around, with n
definite idea Of actually. buying some
thing or Of perhaps making some trifiin
purchase after they have looked over la
the goods 1.-The store. They pick the
things out quickly and, there is, a large
demand for costlier gifts, all Of which be
. | tokens loose purse strings. " @
Another sign Of the times is the infre
quency Of shop-1ifting this year as com
. pared with the past seasons. Detectiy
q J. c.. Doyle said this morning that shop
filters were unusually scare and that fe
suspicious characters had been detecte
. ! about the stores. He expressed the belle
| that prosperous conditions had much
do with the falling off in this branch
crime, because when times were GOO
there was less incentive for people to az
propr1ate that which their purses coul
not supply. g. .'s'-.... '.- -