Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-26
YULETIDE MAIL
ALL DELIVERED
Newark Postoffice Cleans Up
Mountain of Packages Dur
ing Holiday Rush.

All records for the volume of Christ
mas mail at the Newark postoffice,
and the speed with which it was dis
posed of. were broken this week by
the corps of clerks and carriers.
Postmaster Frank J. Book today
said:
I'VE handled about 100000 parcels
in the last week. During the entire
year of 1912 this postoftice took care
of but twice this number. This COM
parison gives an idea of the problem
which we had to solve
Our first class matter alone IN
creased about sixty per cent over the
Christmas rush of the preceding year.
In 1912 we had $4,000 pieces OF mail
to handle and last week We had oS1,-
600. This was all mail that required
prompt attention and almost I'M
mediate delivery, as the term nrst-
class mail implies.
"A conservative estimate of the
number of postcards which went
through our electric stamping ma
chimes during the last four days shows
that we had at least q million ana
half. Extra tables, twenty feet IN
length and six feet wide, had to be
provided for these cards. We never
saw a larger pile Of them before In
this city." =.
The postmaster explained that 1t
was considered q remarkable feat to
deliver all first-olass and parcel post
mail at the postoffioe Christmas morn
ing. This task necessitated the SER
vices of every clerk and carrier sta
toned at the main Office, and large
corps of substitutes were engaged as
extra men.
During the Christmas rush OF 1912
the postmaster hired twenty extra
horses and wagons to deliver parcels.
During the Christmas rush this year
sixty horse-driven wagons were re-
quired to dispose of the mail, which
was augmented by the packages re-
ceived through the new parcel post
system.
When the package receivers at the
postoffice began to realize the increase
of the 1913 rush over that of 1912 they
resorted to further systematic CO.
operation, and as a result the land
slide of mail was effectively ham
died.
Postmaster Book was loud in his
praises of the clerks and carriers. He
said:
1T was the greatest exhibition of
teamwork that ever witnessed. The
men worked like beavers individually
COucCliNCiyB anu oSAhONON wa
derful results.
1.-THE mass of mail we have handled
here this week would more than half
fill the Firemen's building, If that
structure were a large box. This
morning there was a large number OF
the postcards still undelivered, but
by 8 o'clock the last one of these
cards. was on the street and headed
for the proper place"
Tabulating all classes of mail the
postmaster stated that 4,20S,604 pieces
had gone through the local office in
the past six days. In addition, IL, 1874
sacks OF parcels We're sorted and de-
livered. Only 700 parcels went
through the mail during the holiday
season of 1912, just prior to the start
ing of the parcel post system.
The sale of stamps at the main
office was tremendous during the
week. The clerks have been unable to
start working on these figures to as
certain the amount Of business, but 1t
is very apparent that the figures Will
be far above the amount taken In last
year. The postmaster expects an
other slight furry of mail on New
Years Day. but declares the task OF
handling the cards which always
form the bulk of this mall will be
considered easy after the experience
of the past week.