The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-26
POstOffice Employees Buried in
Christmas Packages.
Several Tons Are Still Awaiting
Distribution.
KEEP OPEN SUNDAY.
Owners May Get Their Presents
From $3.50 to II:3O.
Great Deal Of Registered Mail
and Money Orders.

Christmas is past, the day has come
and gone. but ton or more of Christ
mas presents remain in the postoff1ce
ct Topeka which are to be delivered.
Every available man has been pressed
into service for the Christmas rush but
sack after sack of belated presents ar
rived today and more are expected Sun
day and Monday though it is expected
that every package will have been de-
Gvered by Monday evening
This has been the busiest season 1
nave ever experienced said Postmaster
Rogers. who has seen Christmas after
Christmas come and go, while postmaS-
ter or assistant. While we have had
more to contend with than in the past
the improvements which have been re-
Gently completed about the building
have enabled US to take care of the
increased work in fine shape"
1t is estimated that three carloads of
Christmas presents have been received
and distributed during the past week
and this means thousands and hundreds
of thousands of packages. The parcels
have been of every conceivable shape
and form and have varied in weight
from few ounces to the maximum OF
four pounds allowed by the postoffice
regulations.
AS a general thing the packages have
made their trip in good shape but now
and then one has arrived at the Topeka
office in such shape that it has been
necessary to ret1e it before delivery. The
bundles are piled up in the rear of the
big building in long rows representing
the different streets of the city and
these are again divided into city blocks.
Clerks have been kept busily en-
gagged at this work night and day for
week past and as fast as the car
riers diminished the piles of Christ
mas packages other packages were re-
ceived. The receipts increased steadi-
ly from the early part of the week I'M
til this morning and since that time
there has been a slight diminution in
the number of pouches of mail mat
ter received
There are 8 carriers working from
the Topeka office and upon these men
and five sub carriers who are allowed
for a few days during the Christmas
rush has fallen this tremendous task
of delivering Christmas presents. E.
cry man has done his part and lit
tie more, for each carrier takes a per-
sonal pride in seeing that he is not
showed under during the holiday
rush.
They are supposed to work but
eight hours a day and receive their
pay on this basis though the hour
has been disregarded during the pres
ent week and many of the men have
worked many hours overtime, though |
they we'll know that they will not re- /
ceive compensation for their labor |
ct don't think that there is carrier
at work In Topeka who does not get |
enough satisfa ction out of the JOY OF
doing the work to more than repay |
him for the extra work" said one of |
the carriers. GU see at IIllS SSe1SOll |
of the year in particular we are uni |
formed Santa Clauses, and while we
are always welcomed by the house |
wives. for they generally receive the !
mail in the resident sections of the |
city we are doubly welcome at this |
season of the year"
During all the rush the work of |
keeoing the incoming and outgoing |
first class mail matter has been doub- |
" hard for many letters to the recip- |
tents of the packages. There has been |
no CONGESTION in the departments af- |
fected though it has been a strenu- /
Gus week on those in charge Of these |
departments. The work in the regis |
try department has been extremely |
heavy. This department is in charge !
of Charles Pyle who has been assisted /
by Charles GOingS.
Tons andtons of registered mail have
been handled through this department, |
until every registered parcel was
cared for. The delivery from this de-
partment has in no way been inter
fered with by the rush, though the |
men employed in the wire cage which
separates this department from all
others have worked night and day.
Eighty pouches of registered mail
were handled this week, representing
thousands and thousands of dollars
which have been exchanged as Christ
mas presents. The registered mail
which has been received has been APP
proximately as large as that which |
has been sent from the Topeka office
and has doubled the work OF the
force in this department.
While the increase of work has been
felt in every department the carriers
department, the stamp window, the
registered mail department and the
money order department have received
the brunt of the work. The money
order department is in charge OF VIII
liam Tinker and for three weeks three
hundred orders a day have been is
sued.
Much Money Paid Out.
Three or four times as many orders
are paid each day at the Topeka office