Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-20
PUBLIC IS NOT
SHIPPING EARLY
Postmaster Book Says That
Christmas Rush Is Only
Hall Under WAY.
THIS is SO, HE DECLARES,
DESPITE WIDE PUBLICITY
Thirty New Clerks Sworn In to
Aid in Next Weeks
Rush.

With the Christmas rush only half
under way, the local postoffice is
handling upwards of $4,000 parcels
daily, according to Postmaster Frank
J. Book. OF this number approx
mately 5000 packages are received
for delivery in this city, while the
remaining 5000 is dispatched all over
the world
The majority of the parcels re-
celved during the past week was for
cities and towns in the south, west
and middle west. The foreign mail
was practically all sent out before
last week, and the mail for points
within the first and second zones will
PROBABLY not begin to come in heavily
before Monday or Tuesday.
All this Is so. Postmaster Book
points out, despite the fact that all
sorts of publicity has been given to
urging the people to do their Christ
mas shipping early"
The number of parcels received
during the past week has averaged
10000 to 1900 daily Yesterday. how
ever, this number was practically
doubled, and by Monday Postmaster
Book declares the number will be
doubled again.
I'VE are prepared to handle 10000
packages daily" he said today. 1.-THE
people wouldn't cooperate with us In
doing their shipping early. so we had
to prepare for the greatest business
the office has ever known Some of
the packages won't stay inside this
building more than twenty minutes.
We keep everything moving all the
time, and this avoids congestion.
with our limited space this Is the
only way we could solve the problem,
and we have adopted as our slogan
Keep 1t moving" The packages
come in and go through a regular
systematic routine, including a shoot
the-shute plunge, a dash through the
cellar In trucks. and ride up to day
light in the elevator and right outside
again.
Were getting the mail out of the
| office. and to the various railway sta
| tions as fast as men possibly can dc
| it. We have not had any congestion
yet, and we don't expect it,"
The parcels which are now the bulk
of the postoffice traffic are being dis
posed of very quickly by the pos
| tai clerks. AS they are presented al
the window clerks accept them, weigh
| them and place the correct stamps
under the cord or on the package
somewhere. The parcel then goes
across a table where several men dc
nothing but affiX the stamps and slide
them down the chute to the cellar.
In the cellar on either side of the
platform at the bottom of the chute
are numerous trucks all labeled will
the names of the various States anc
territory they represent. A score o.
| clerks receive the bundles as they
come down the chute and sort then
| into their various trucks. The truck!
are rushed through the cellar to thu
rear of the building, where the sort
ing and canceling Is completed an6
the packages are shot up in an ele
vator and placed on the wagons. TIT
wagons carry them to the various sta
lions and they are off on their jour
ney. The parcels for delivery in thi
city go through the same system bu
are given to carriers instead of beinl
placed on the wagons.
In this way the parcels post system
| is giving but little more work thar
was noticed last year and the re-
ceipts are greatly enlarged. The sys
| tenn works PERFECTLY, Postmaster
Book says, and no trouble Is antici-
pated. The precanceled stamps are
| helping to facilitate matters wonder
| fully, and makes 1t possible for the
parcels to go through the building
i at a twenty minute rate.
| Last night, thirty men were sworr
1 in by Assistant Postmaster Cyphers
! They will be kept in reserve and
called in as Postmaster Book thinks
he will need them. The men were al
civil service eligibles and will be en-
ployed as temporary substitutes.