Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-27
MAIL DELAYS
UNAVOIDABLE
POSTMASTER FLINT EXPLAINS
SERVICE
Even Extra Force of Clerks Employed
Unable to Cope with Rush
of the Christmas
Business

Postmaster Motley II. Flint, in an
open letter to the public, has taken oc-
caslon to let those on the anxious seat
know why their mail has been delayed.
The vast volume of Christmas business
done through the local branch of the
postal service has completely swamped
the extra force employed for the occa-
sion, and the postmaster takes occa-
sion to voice his views on the subject.
Mr.. Flints letter is as .d9d. follows; vs. oe
"I desire to call your attention to the
most serious problem which. to my
mind. confronts the postal service. The
custom which has originated within the
past few years of sending Christmas
greetings by postal cards and letters
has increased with tremendous rap
idity More letters were mailed in Los
Angeles on the nights of December %
and "a than ever in the history of the
city. From Tuesday morning, Decem-
Der 81, at 10 O'Clock, until Friday night
at 10 o'clock S50.000 Christmas postal
cards were mailed in the Los Angeles
postoffice
I'm addition to this. thousands of our
citizens had beautiful Christmas greet
ings. printed, engraved and embossed,
which were sent out in letters by tens
of thousands. This has thrown such a
volume of mail upon the postoffice that
It is impossible to handle it. BY the
regulations, letter mail must receive
first consideration. and our distribu-
tors, who should be working package
and paper mail, are compelled by law
to take up the increased distribution
occasioned by the mass OF Christmas
cards deposited.
1.-THE immense volume Of mail orlsi-
mating in eastern points has completely
swamped the railway postal clerks on
the trains. This. in addition to the
serious delays caused by the heavy
storms in the east, has prevented the
trains reaching Los Angeles on any
thing like schedule. Consequently 1t
will be some three or four days before
the mail service reaches normal con-
dition.
"On account of Christmas falling on
Saturday, and no delivery of mail being
made by the regular carriers on sun
day, our force of letter carriers Will
be unable to meet the situation Nor
day morning, but every effort Will BE-
made to move the mail as rapidly as
possible. Our citizens who are expect
ing souvenir postcards with Christmas
greetings must wait patiently until the
enormous mass of letter mail is dis
in the postofflce are on a twelve-hour
schedule-one crew from : a. M. until
Z p. m. and the other from p. m.
until Z a. m. This work has been
kept up continuously Christmas day
and Sunday, and the employees are all
completely exhausted by this most
marvellous increase in the postal ousi-
ness.
"Our stamp sales for the first twenty
four days of December were SllS'OOO,
as against $685. 900 for the same period
a year since.
"The public is therefore requested
to be patient. as it is expected If all
delayed trains reach Los Angeles with
in Nhe next twenty-four hours full
and complete delivery will have been
effected by the latter part of the week;
and il is sincerely hoped and expected
that by New Years day the postotfice
will have resumed a normal condition
and that the faithful and efficient en-
ployes of the Los Angeles postofi1ce
may have a holiday on January l,
1910 M. H. FLINT, Postmaster"