The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-12-25
HOLIDAY RUSH
AT POSTOFFICE
ENORMOUS AMOUNT or MAIL
HANDLED DURING THE PAST
THREE DAYS.
RECEIPTS SHOW Big INCREASE
Nearly 800 Pouches Of Packages Have
Left Here Every Day For
The Week.

Almost unprecedented has been thC
rush at the Columbia post office dur
ing the first three days OF this week
From now on the clerks will not have
to work so fast or put in so many
hours, but on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday their services were Of the
most approved RooseYeltian strenuous
nature and they hail with no small
degree of delight the prospect Of a re
turn to normal conditions. Practical
ly every employee at the post Office has
been forced to put in many extra hours
during the week, several of the clerks
working as much as fifteen hours
and all of them as long as fourteen
hours out of the twenty-four
Some idea of the work of the Office
| is obtained from the statement that
there was sold at the stamp window
! on Wednesday more than $135 OF
stamps the most of the sales being in
small sums. A very large majority of
these stamps were placed on Christ
mas packages and membranes. AS
the average package sent through the
cents in stamps this will give one an
idea of the almost countless number
that have been handled during the
holiday rush season in the post ONCE,
The stamp sales are better than
they have ever been at the holiday
season, the average for the 1irst three
days of the week being $25 per day
more than last year. The money or
der business too, this year, tops all
previous records at Christmas time,
an increase of nearly fifty per cent
being shown over the same days OF
1907. The total receipts of the local
post Office for the three days ending
Wednesday night we're over $500, or
an average Of close to $4,000 per day.
The burden Of the rural route and
city carriers has too been heavy
one during the week. They have
been encountered with Christmas
packages without number but they
have performed their onerous duties
without complaint and with complete
satisfaction to their patrons. Some
idea Of the enormous package bust.
ness of the office is cleaned from the
fact that during the week an average
of thirty-six mail pouches full of pack
ages alone have gone out on the thir'
teen mail trains leaving Columbia
daily This makes total of nearly
300 pouches every day. In addition
it requires four or five pouches to
carry the registered mail to each
train. The incoming trains are bring
ing equally as many packages and as
much mail matter The rush has been |
80 great that the office has, been kept |
open every night until o'clock.
So far as known no packages have
,een misplaced or gone to the wrong
address. Clerks are kept at the win
low to handle every package as soon
IS 1t is brought in and If an error in
he address is discovered or there are
10 stamps upon the package the fact
) brought to the attention of the
ender frequently before he leaves
he building. There have been no
omplains filed and the manner in
hitch the business has been handled
a high testimonial to the efficiency
I the post office force.
The facilities at the local office for
andling this rush business are not
; the best character but this will be
,medied by the next holiday season
it Is expected that by that time the
Nv building will be finished and ready r
r occupancy. .,
Postmaster Jackson has decided to
we the srural carriers deliver mail u
but there will be no deliv- fr
V In the city. This decision to send OF
t the rural carriers is due to the &C
t that the country people expect sc
my Christmas packages and they 10
uld have no chance to get them I'M al
the next day as they cannot call at ar
office without coming to the city. pc