The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-23
Post and Express Offices Are
Not Depressed.
Rush to Ship Christmas Pack
ages Is Tremendous.
WORK DAY AND NIGHT
Long Line Of Customers, Arms
Full Of Bundles.
How They Act at the Govern
ment Stamp Window.

"Give me your slip. please. Where's
your money? Two three-cent stamps
and one f1ve-cent? All right there you
are. Be careful and don't drop your
stamps On the floor
Here, son, you have forgotten your
change
Say, you didn't give me enough
stamps
IT want to change a five dollar gold
piece, and I want fifty cents worth of
pennies"
Here is your five dollars in change;
haven't got time to give you any pen
Mes
Under this running fire of questions
and answers, the clerks at the stamp
windows at the postoffice handled the
change from twenty-five people for ev-
cry five minutes and sold them stamps
for Christmas packages. This happen
ed today.
1t happened. today and will continue
to happen tomorrow for the height of
the Christmas rush at the postofTice is
here.
Two stamp clerks were kept busy at
the postoffice selling stamps to put on
packages, kept so busy that they did
not have time to look around and
stretch themselves. Long lines OF wait
ing purchasers crowded the corridors
leading to the windows. To facilitate
the rush one of the clerks was placed
in the west corridor to weigh the pack
ages and place the necessary amount
of stamps to be purchased on a slip of
paper Some Of the people walked right
by this clerk and stood in line at the
stamp window and then attempted to
get their armful of bundles weighed
there only to be sent out of line and
back from where they came. Others,
and there were so many that the fingers
of a centipede could not have counted
them ALL dropped their slips or threw
~ hon how to no
stamp window there was a hitch in the
steady progress of the line while the
intending purchaser tried to remember
how many stamps he should buy. The
crowd back in the line grew impatient,
shuffled their feet and crowded their
elbows into each others ribs in a vain
attempt to hurry things along.
IF the people would only hold on to
their slips. push them over to me and
have their money ready could handle
just twice as many people, said
clerk at one of the windows. Some of
these people hang so desperately to
their slips that you simply can't pry
them loose from them. But it isn't
all that way. oh, no. some of them
catch on quickly"
Just at this minute a woman showed
a cent across the counter and. said, ST
want a five cent stamp" -tssFr
Here's the stamp; where's your
money!"
why I gave you a five cent piece"
Il beg pardon madam. but here it is,
one cent
"Oh. thought it was five cents. 1t
felt like it."
She went off to one side, got her
pocketbook out and fumbling around
dug out a five cent piece and came back
again and got her stamp
Some dropped their stamps on the
floor and then charged the clerk with
having made a mistake. One man pick
ed up 40 cents in stamps in one of the
corridors close to stamp window which
had been dropped and returned it to
the postmaster. This helped to make
up any money that the postmaster
might have to advance by reason of
mistak claimed in the sales of
stamps. Last night after the hours of
closing had come a search for stamps
resulted profitably to the stamp depart
ment and 10 cents in stamps was CLEAN
ed from the corridors.
One woman claimed this morning
that she had lost $50 while waiting to
send her packages off and so it goes.
Even the bosses were working like
galley slaves. The superintendent of
delivery tossed his coat in one corner
and was throwing things around just
the same as an ordinary letter carrier
while Doc Newman, assistant post
master, was pressed into service at the
stamp window.
About 'steen wagon loads of bulky