The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-03
HAD A BUSY TIME.
Postofdce Clerks Kept Moving Hand
ling Money Orders and Mail

The past weeks have been busy time
Of year in the money order department
of the postoff1ce.
For weeks before Christmas foreign
ers from all nations begin to flock up. to
the windows, eager to send money home
for Christmas presents The busiest time
is about two weeks before Christmas
then lines Of people stretch far out INTO
the hall. and the clerks take in about
Of course there are many mistakes
made and many funny things happen
The clerks have great thine keeping
things going smoothly, and they have
OPPORTUNITIES to lose their tempers many
times an hour, for half the people know
very well what they want. but they
have a good deal of difficulty making
other people know. Strange to say they
have no Interpreter in the department,
and the things have to be Strengthened
out by signs, so that sometimes one
would think it an asylum for the deaf
instead of a postoflce department As
a general thing, all turns out well in the
end
one innocent young man did a rather
/ funny thing the other day he bousht
his money order and then calmly drop
ned it into the post box, minus envelope
/ or address. He thought. he had done all
| that-was- necessary, and the oldest part
/ is that the order arrived safely at ITS
/ destination, and was duly cashed-
All the small towns about Cleveland
remit to this city, and here in turn the
money is sent to Chicago, where there
is more need for it than there is in the
smaller city.
and eleven dollars is the record for a
recent week of six days for Cleveland
and the surrounding towns, which gives
a pretty good idea of the large amount
Of money passing through the malis-
1t is money very accurately handed,
too for in two years $500 100000 has
passed through the department and the
authorities at Washington had TO repof-
but s251 of that immense sum which
had been paid to the wrong parties or
mishandled in any way. And that IS =
record of which any big bank would
/ be exceedingly proud
II is not money orders alone that are
crowding the mans 1ust nov dells1 =
are also hurrying across the ocean,
bearing Christmas love and greetings
to friends at home.
More packages are going to Germany
than to any other country across the
Tea. Not because Germans send more
home. but because it is the only foreign
country besides Mexico, Newfoundland
and some South American countries that
has made a treaty with this govern
nent allowing special rates for PACK
ages in the mails. To other countries
REGULAR postage must be paid at the rate
Of : cents for every half ounce. and this
makes present sending expensive
But. strange to say, parcels can be
sent to Germany for less money than
they can be sent across the street, local
postal rates on second-class matter be-
Ing Is cents 2 pound, while things may
go to Germany for u cents a pound.
! ard the bundles may weigh as high as
Il bounds.
The greatest trouble with bundles tx
to persuade the people to tie them up
tight enough.
Folks seem to think that all that is
nece ssary is to put on a string, no mat
ter how loosely. and many are the ar
tr1re "a q
much the worse for wear. And some
times, through the dropping off of wrap
pe1s parcels do not arrive at all.
For Christmas is a busy time for pos
tai clerks. and they can't stop to fuss
Many extra men are needed, and for
days all those who handle the mails
live in kind of whirl of envelopes
AMI packages. growing so tired that t.
them at least the greatest charm OF
, Christmas DAY is the rest it brings. -
Cleveland Plain Dealer.