Evening star., 1949-12-22
Christmas Travel Rush
Begins as Gift Sales
Reach Peak Here

Leaving caSn registers Jangllng
q. multi-million- dollar tune, that
portion of Washington's citizenry
which goes home for Christmas
every year is ready to start its
journey.
| Value of the city's big, bulging
gift sack is a record-"$20, ,O00, 900
would be a conservative figure" a
Merchants and Manufacturers
Association spokesman ventured.
But travel. with the wartime
peak of peripatetics to shoot at,
will be well under all-time records,
although extra sections are being
added by bus lines, railroads and
commercial air lines.
Travel sources said today that
space is available to some places,
depending on which direction
you're travelling and what time
you want to go.
Railroads Are Prepared.
The Baltimore g. Ohio is basing
its preparations on anticipation
of at least Is per cent less travel
than last year, but already has
extra sections scheduled for the
Columbian to Chicago and the
National Limited to st. Louis. Ex-
ira sections to Pittsburgh also are
being considered.
The Pennsylvania has nine
extra sections on the rails today
on the Liberty Limited to Chicago
and the Spirit of st. Louis to st.
Louis. Nine more are on the
New York to Washington run.
Tomorrow the Pennsylvania
will have 18 extra to New York,
81 from New York to Washington.
Saturday it will run eight extra
sections to New York and 10 from
New York to Washington.
Bus travel is very, very heavy
AS good if not better than last
year." officials said today.
Everything Will Be Rolling.
Everything qualified to go on
the road will be rolling" they
added.
Airlines report similar business
with reservations thinning out
during the late afternoon and eve
ming of Christmas Eve. Some
cancellations are allowing reserva-
tionists to start working on wait
ing lists.
Air express already has reached
new all-time records, with from
$4,000 to 10000 pounds per day
handled at National Airport for
the last several days.
A mail load considered a record
was put aboard an Eastern Air
lines C-54 cargo plane at National
yesterday. Twenty baggage carts
hauled out a 6,074-pound load to
a plane headed for New Orleans.
In addition, the plane carried
other air express and air freight
bringing the total load to 1866
pounds.
Private motor travel appears
about even with last year-which
was Is per cent higher than 1947,
the American Automobile Asso-
citation reported today. Hotel
reservations are either scarce or
available only in second-class ho-
tells, the AAA's reservation service
said.
Christmas Mail at Peak.
The association had a new an
gle on observation-disclosures people
have been giving train trips to
New Orleans Mardi Gras as
Christmas gifts.
The record Christmas season
which sent the Washington City
Post Office business to new high
marks, seemed general over the
Nation, the Commerce Depart
ment reported today.
Package and letter totals have
been higher here than ever before
Stamp sales for the first 20 days
Of December total $1,797 ,507, COM
pared with $1,549.720 in 194S,
Postmaster Roy North said. A sin
gle day stamp sales record was
established Tuesday with $685.
900 business, he added.
In New York, a post Office mail
ing record was established yes
terday with a one-day sale Of ST.
005, ,859. Nearest thing to it was
December 20 of last year when
sales totaled $778,184.
The Commerce Department esti-
mated November's retail sales
over the Nation at $40, 1886 ,000, 900,
with most major lines Of business
reporting increases over October.
Arlington Forest Program
The Arlington Forest Citizens
Association will light its Christmas
tree at 7 O'Clock tonight. The pro-
gram will include the singing Of