The San Francisco call., 1910-12-25
ALL Will RECEIVE
THEIR MAIL TODAY
Postofice Force Establishes
Record in Handling of
Christmas Matter

Santa Claus reindeer of this city, !
the real reindeer that distribute and
deliver the presents from and to all
parts-the 1,154 employees of the local
postoffice-will have handed to the
lucky donees every parcel and letter in
trusted to them by Kris Kringle by to-
night, If the expectations of the leader |
OF the herd, Postmaster Arthur G.. Fisk, |
are realized
The postoffice department of this city |
has handled the largest Christmas mail |
1T has ever had to deal with, and that
within shorter period than usual.
There will be one delivery of the |
mail tomorrow, but it is expected that
every letter and parcel brought to the |
postoffice for delivery in this city will
be in the hands of the remembered |
ones by sundown
From the first of the present month |
receipts began coming in SO slowly /
that the postal officials were afraid a
'booby instead of grand prize
Christmas would be the case. This
feeling continued in the federal build |
ing through Thursday, but Friday and |
yesterday the mail matter passed into |
the postoffice fairly overwhelmed the |
clerks, including 200 extra men, and
FAR exceeded records of any previous |
te-Christmas mail
REORGANIZATION HELPED
Had 1t not been for recent reorgani-
zation in certain departments of the
postoff1ce by Postmaster General Hitch |
cock 1T is probable that many thou |
sands of packages, especially in the |
registry division, would have not been
delivered until tomorrow or Tuesday.
Despite the heavy rush of mail at
he last minute, the registry division,
If which A. L. Adams is the super !
intendent, with a smaller force than |
ever before, was able to lend men to
other departments, owing to improve |
ments made in the handling of regis
tered matter within the last year.
Postmaster Arthur G.. Fisk, in his |
anxiety to instill additional energy |
in his men SO as to make the coast |
postofflce record, which he has carried !
off often before, pulled off his coat /
yesterday and for half an hour stood |
at a canceling machine and worked it |
with the skill of an expert and helped I
make new record for the number of
letters run through the canceling ma |
chimes was 42S,000, against 29S,o00 the |
same day last year.
The example of their leader was |
soon followed by the heads of depart |
ments A. L. Adams, superintendent of |
the registry division; Dennis Coyne, the |
superintendent of mail, and r. w.
raced in their shirtsleeves with the |
employees in an effort to see that all to |
whom letters and gifts were coming |
should have them on Christmas day. |
They have apparently won, for, except !
in cases of misaddressing or such |
errors, every article bearing the well |
worn but hearty inscription. Merry |
Christmas will be delivered today.
FISK APPRECIATIVE
Of
master Fisk issued the following |
greeting to the clerks, who have |
worked we'll and in most cases over |
time.
THE postmaster wishes to convey |
to all attaches of this office his appre |
citation of the efficient service rendered |
by them during 1910 and to extend to
the superintendents of divisions and |
stations, the members of the carrier
and the clerical forces, and all other |
employees, his best wishes for the hoh- |
days and for happy and prosperous |
new year.
The employees of every bank and |
financial institution in the city were |
remembered by Santa Claus as the |
doors of the banks closed yesterday at |
noon. AS they each passed out of the |
door they were met by the active heads |
of the institutions and handed por-
tion of their monthly salaries. In sew |
eral instances a full months salary |
was received.
Big New York Mail
NEW YORK, Dec. 24.-while late
Christmas shoppers were surgfng |
through the crowded. sloppy streets of |
the retail districts in a pouring rain |
today Uncle Sans mailmen were busy |
delivering what is said to be the big !
gest Christmas mail ever handled by |
the local postoffice. The general post
office with it's so branch stations was
the real holiday storm center, 1t being |
calculated that upward of 100000 |
pieces of mail were being handled.
Records were broken also, 1t is be- |
lieved, in the volume of Christmas
mail received this year. The calcula-
tion is that more than 20,000.000 let |
ters and postcards and about $4,000 |
pieces of the lower classes of mail
were brought here in the 21.690 sacks
carried by the five late arriving trans |
Atlantic liners.
Great quantities of this mail passed
through the New York city offices and
were forwarded to various parts of the
country.