XN000022-1974-11-18 — Page 4

MONDAY, NOVENDER 18, 1974.

POST OFFICE SET FOR CHRISTMAS MAIL RUSH

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WITH CHRISTMAS JUST ROUND THE CORNER, THE POST OFFICE IS GEARING ITSELF FOR THE LAST MINUTE RUSH.

TO ENSURE THAT ALL MAIL IS DELIVERED IN TIME, SPECIAL STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TO CLEAR THE FLOOD OF POSTAL ITENS EXPECTED IN THE REMAINING VEEKS LEFORE CHRISTMAS.

THESE INCLUDE EMPLOYING EXTRA TEMPORARY LADOURERS TO BACK UP PRESENT STAFF, AN ADDITIONAL FLEET OF LORRIES TO HELP COLLECT AND CONVEY LETTERS FROM POST COXES TO POST OFFICES, AND HODILISING ALL EXISTING STAFF COUPLED WITH CANCELLATION OF ALL LEAVE FROM EARLY DECEMBER UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY,

A POST OFFICE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT WHILE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE WAS BEING DONE TO COPE WITH THE HEAVY LOAD OF CHRISTMAS MAIL SENDERS COULD MAKE A GREAT CONTRIBUTION BY POSTING AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

+THERE IS NOTHING TO LOSE BUT EVERYTHING TO GAIN BY POSTING EARLY, HE STRESSED ADDING THAT THIS WOULD NOT ONLY HELP EASE THE PRESSURE ON THE POST OFFICE BUT ALSO AVOID THE RISK OF LATE DELIVERY AS A RESULT OF POSTING TOO LATE.

THE SPOKESMAN ALSO URGED THE PUBLIC TO ENSURE THAT THEIR LETTERS WERE PROPERLY AND CORRECTLY ADDRESSED.

HE POINTED OUT THAT EACH YEAR AN AVERAGE OF SOME THREE MILLION DEAD LETTERS' COULD NOT BE DELIVERED BECAUSE THEY WERE INCORRECTLY ADDRESSED.

EVERY YEAR THE LATEST POSTING DATES FOR OVERSEAS CHRISTMAS MAIL ARE PUBLICISED VELL IN ADVANCE IN THE PRESS AND OVER THE RADIO TO KEEP THE PUBLIC INFORMED OF THE DATES FOR POSTING.

THE 'CLIMAX' COMES IN DECEMBER WITH A DRAMATIC UPSURGE IN POSTAL ITEMS AS PEOPLE TRY TO CATCH THE LAST NAIL.

LAST DECEMBER ALONE THE POST OFFICE HANDLED ADOUT 23 MILLION OUTGOING AND INLAND LETTERS IN ALL. THIS REPRESENTED AN

INCREASE OF EIGHT MILLION OVER THE AVERAGE MONTHLY RATE.

AT THE SAME TIME INCOMING LETTERS VEUT UP TO 8.7 MILLION,

4.2 MILLION OVER THE AVERAGE MONTHLY FIGURE.

AIR PARCELS POSTED INCREASED FROM A MONTHLY AVERAGE OF 57,000 WITH AN OVERALL WEIGHT OF 65,000 KILOGRAMMES TO 72,000 ITEMS WEIGHING 20,000 KILOGRAMMES- UNILE INCOMING AIR PARCELS WENT UP FROM AN AVERAGE OF 17,000 TO 24,000 ITEMS, REGISTERING A NET INCREASE OF 10,000 KILOGRAMMES IN TERMS OF WEIGHT.

AT THE SAME TIME INCOMING SURFACE MAIL PARCELS MORE THAN DOUBLED FROM A MEAN OF 25,000 TO 51,000 ITEMS IN DECENDER, WHILE OUTGOING MAIL PARCELS AMOUNTED TO 245,000 IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR TWICE THE AVERAGE MONTHLY FIGURE.

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