Thousands of telegrams on Tuesday

Dipping sheep at Elderslie, North Otago. - Otago Witness, 25.12.1912. Copies of picture available from odt front office, Lower Stuart St, or www.otagoimages.co.nz

The employees in the local telegraph office were kept at high pressure on Tuesday, dealing with the very large number of telegrams which were handed over the counter, and also with those which had to be transmitted from the outside offices. Including Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday there was an increase of no fewer than 6000 telegrams on the number sent out from the Dunedin office for the four corresponding days last year.

The heaviest day was on Tuesday, when the rush started at half-past 9, increased in the afternoon, and eased somewhat about half-past 6 at night. The suburban offices were also kept hard at it taking and sending telegrams, while the main telephone exchange, the outside exchanges, and the various slot machines had a severe tax put on them in coping with the demand on their services. As a result of the rush of work on Tuesday the work at the main office became somewhat congested in the evening, and the telegraph operators were kept busy till late yesterday morning in clearing up the overplus.

The wires, however, worked well, and once the operators got a good clear run with the mass of telegrams these were sent away and received with the greatest despatch. The heaviest part of the work on Tuesday, it should be mention, was in connection with the ''transmitting'' of telegrams - that is, forwarding on telegrams received from the other Otago and Southland offices.

• On account of the excellent weather which prevailed yesterday the tram traffic was exceptionally heavy, and it is anticipated that the returns will be about 50 per cent in excess of those for Boxing Day of last year, which, it will be remembered, was wet. The loading on the cars started about 10 a.m., and the destination of the majority of the people was St. Clair. By a quarter to 2 the traffic on this section was extremely heavy, and 10 special cars were put into commission to cope with it. So consistent was the stream of visitors to and from this popular resort that the whole of these 10 cars were retained until 6 o'clock at night. About a quarter to 7 in the evening 14 special cars were requisitioned to bring people into town to visit the various places of amusement, while a pressure of traffic again began on the St. Clair route, and a five-minute service had to be maintained until 10.30 p.m. On the St. Kilda line the ordinary 10-minute service proved sufficient to meet the demands, and on the cars to the northern portion of the city the loading was unusually light.

• The berthage accommodation at Port Chalmers was severely taxed yesterday owing to the large number of vessels in port. During the early morning there were the cruiser Cambrian, Mamari, Maitai, Kauri, Whangape, Taviuni, Moura, Progress, and Flora, the only vacancy being the berth vacated by the Wakanui, which sailed early in the morning to commence her Homeward loading at Oamaru. The presence of so many vessels in port at one time during the holidays is due to the fact that advantage is taken of the occasion to withdraw a number of them for their annual survey. On the other hand, all the repair yards are busily working overtime . - ODT, 27.12.1912.