The New York herald., 1922-08-21
Miss Holmes the Swift.
She Distributes Letters at the Rate
of Forty three Minute.

From a Post office Department Bulletin.
What is believed to be a record un-
paralleled in the history OF the postal
service in the rapid. distribution of mail
has just been established by q post
office clerk In the Detroit office.
The clerk, who is none other than
Miss Nina f. Holmes. pitting her skill
against thousands of men in the Post
Office Department and then triumphing
over them. was employed at the Detroit
post office two years ago. Placed at
one OF the numerous distributing cases,
she began the monotonous grind Of
placing letters in pigeonhoes, but the
task was not a burdensome one for her.
Within two years she has acquired
speed record that has never before been
equalcd.
Miss Holmes on an eight hour shift OF
work in the Detroit Office recently dis
tributed by actual count 20.6l0 pieces
of mail on a primary distribution. This
is at the rate of forty-three letters
minute. and if the time spent in tying
the bundles of mail was subtracted the
rate per minute would approximate the
startling record of fifty pieces OF mail
per minute. a mail distributor or1:-
narily in the postal service averages
about 10000 letters a day after three
or four years of continuous experience.
1t is not so much what Miss Holmes
does. either. as what she actually knows.
To be "a post Office clerk the most req
uisite quality is an excellent memory.
A post office Is a place where there is
a premium on brains According to
Postmaster John w. Smith of Detroit,
distribution on the city primary mail
involves a knowledge of the limit street
number OF 3s1 "split" streets, that is,
streets extending through two or more
station areas, and a knowledge also of
the station location OF 1861 single
streets, including the names of 1900
business Arms located i'm scores of office
buildings In Miss Holiness case It
means that she knows the distribution
to be given the mail addressed to $500
or more firms II received without the
proper street addresses. The Detroit
post office is very proud of her record.
Miss Holmes was a country school
teacher in one Of the upper Michigan
counties before che took the position in
iiit IctTolt ustTIDutlng room.
I'VE doubt IL any other post Office
has clerk who possesses her superior
in speed and accuracy" declared Post
master Smith in a letter to Assistant
Postmaster-General Bartlett Remark
able as Miss Holiness achievement Is,
! probably would not make it the SUBJ
ject OF letter to the department were
1t not for the fact that she gives to the
service every day the very best that is
in her and that. too. without the neces-
sity of supervision"
Assistant Postmaster-General Bartlett
has complimented the efficient clerk In
a reply to Postmaster Smith:
when the fact Is considered that
Miss Holmes has had less than two
years in the postal service. having first
been appointed substitute clerk on
October 4. 1920. the record which she
has made Is indeed remarkable, and |
doubt II II has ever been excelled by
any distributor, male or female. of tho
same post Office experience. The SER
vice and your Office are to be congratu-
lated In possessing a clerk OF Miss
Holiness rare attainments. which must
rebound to the benefit of the public and
serve as an inspiration to others. Please
extend to Miss Holmes my hearty CON
gratulatlons and the appreciation of the
department upon her accomplishments"
Miss Holmes Is 90 years old and Is
scarcely more than Eve feet in height.