Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-20
AUGUSTUS POSTOFFICE
AS VISITOR FINDS 1T
DURING XMAS RUSH

The only way anyone can get an
idea of the vast amount of work which
is carried on at the Augusta postoffice
during the Christmas rush season is
to go through the big establishment
with a competent guide, and such a
trip could hardly fail to interest any
one who can be interested in any great
public service. The quickest way to
give a concrete idea of the business
being done by the local postoffice is
through the medium of figures. so here
are a few: An average of from 5000 to
5000 money orders are paid daily, and
day before yesterday dec. 1S), 3517
money orders, amounting to $4114.99,
were received and paid. Seventy other
postoffices in the State send all of their
surplus money received from money
orders to the local office, to enable the
officials here to pay the vast amount
which comes to this city, largely due
to the publishing houses located here.
Over 30 tons of second class mail
is handled daily in the basement,
Weighing Clerk Harold Partridge hav-
ing a busy time with this matter,
which is sent to all parts of the Unit
ed States, and further. During the past
month $4,000 one-cent stamps were
sold at the Office, and of course great
many of them were used by the pub
les. each publisher being notified every
day of the amount of mail sent and
the cost of mailing.
In one little f1re-proof vault on the
street level are stored s79,7S4.52 worth
of Uncle Sans stamps, ranging ir
value from one cent to S., stamped
envelopes being included in this
amount. On Monday afternoon a pile
of money orders reposed on the desl
of Walter Poor, the finance clerk, the
pile being about Is inches in heigh
and representing about $4,000, ont
days job for Mr.. Poor and John p
Ryan, the bookkeeper. And they stateG
that in the last IS months an averag.
of one mistake to every $1,000 money
orders was made, which gives a pretty
fair idea of the accuracy of the finan.
cial systm in use.
In the main room, where F. B. Hill
foreman of the day crew, is in charge
everything runs as smoothly as ONT
can imagine, in spite of the vast vol.
! facilities which make this possible is
| the cancelling machine, which handles
both letters and post cards at the rate
of 10000 per hour. cancelling ant
counting them at the same time. Siz
times day the time stamps are
changed on this machine, that people
may know the exact hour at which
their mail left the Office.
| The American Postan Machine Co. OF
Boston, Mass, is the manufacturer OF
this wonderful machine, which handles
all sizes Of letters. and sounds like q
miniature gun in action.
| During the Christmas rush five win
dows will be open to handle the mail
with extra clerks to facilitate matters
as much as possible. Edwin M. Lewis
and Z. H. Gay, the regular men. are both
very efficient and popular members of
the big working force, and as stamp
clerks have a nodding acquaintance with
everyone in the city.
Postmaster Frederick Plaisted consid-
ers John Arnold. the assistant postmas-
ter, who is also the supervisor Of mails,
and B. F. Newman, supervisor Of finan-
ces, both of whom have been in the SER
vice over 20 years. his rlght-hand men,
and praises them both highly.
In the money order department, Miss
Margaret P. Partridge uses an Ellis
Adding Machine, the only one Of its kind
in the State, which does the work Of an
adding machine and a typewriter, and
adds greatly to the rapidly Of the Office
work in that department..
Facilities for the handling Of the par
Gel post during the Christmas season are
complete. Seven carriers with teams
will be employed during the rush, and
each has a rack with 10 canvas sacks,
marked with the streets and numbers to
which the mail contained in each goes.
this making possible the fast delivery of
an enormous volume of parcels. The in
sured parcel post is fast becoming nom
ular. parcels valued up to IS being in
sured for three cents, the charge for In