Mystery Christmas Gift Baffles Ottawa Dead Letter Office
Medicine Hat postal authorities face a decade old puzzle as a nameless Christmas package to a missing recipient ends up in Ottawa’s dead letter office each year. With no return address, officials cannot notify the sender in Ontario who keeps buying and sending the gift that never arrives. The case highlights gaps in tracing and prevents delivery to SOMEBODY GIVES, NOBODY GETS.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Medicine Hat
Ottawa
Ontario
Christmas cards from Medicine Hat head to dead letter office
Between 1500 and 2000 Christmas cards mailed from Medicine Hat or incoming to local addresses will end up in the dead letter office this year and eventually they will be destroyed. Faulty addressing and no return address cause the backlog with many envelopes containing blank cards or to non-existent local addresses.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Medicine Hat
Sat
Post Office Space Taxed Beyond Capacity Plan to Add Next Year
Christmas mail rush strained staff and space at Medicine Hat main branch. Postmaster Sam Goldie says new Ottawa post office planned but unlikely to be ready for fall 1957. if not, lease of larger space will be sought. Extra space used at Subway service rear for magazines and parcels. main branch would focus on letters and cards while a central point handles parcels and papers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sam Goldie
Medicine Hat
Ottawa
Goldie
Moose Jaw
Calgary
Christmas mail volume rises at Gas City post office
Post master Sam Goldie notes 10 percent higher Gas City mail handling versus last year, driven by a new sorting system. Christmas card mailings exceed 500 000 with parcels up from 15 600 to 16 811 through December 21, and local parcel receipts up to 11 379. Five cent business greetings rise as firms use first class mail for speed while two cent cards remain expeditious.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Medicine Hat
Yuletide
Christmas Bell in Card Damages Postal Die
A metal toy bell in a letter damages a $2500 stamping machine at the local post office. Postal officials report many bells and candies in letters violate regulations, causing headaches for staff. Six insecure parcels yielded unidentifiable gifts and undelivered items, including caisson gifts and a broken wine bottle. In Medicine Hat a concrete 400 pound eagle statue arrives as an unusual gift, sparking confusion on what to do with the heavy carving.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
al Lust
Ian
Neil
Hugh
Medicine Hat
P. J. Sereni
Dundee St
Quiet Day for Firemen Police in Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat firemen and police spent Christmas like any other day with shifts on duty. No city fires or major crimes occurred. some officers had the day off while others waited in readiness and listened to carols. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also carried on, with one member on escort duty and the highway patrol active.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Medicine Hat
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Highway Patrol
Prisoner Refuses to Answer in Housebreaking Trial
In a bar trial a prisoner facing housebreaking denies guilt. The prosecuting attorney reads the indictment and asks guilty or not guilty. The prisoner replies I refuse to answer stating I am not spoiling the plot for the jury.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Quilty
Oil well fire prompts Kinley possible flight to Alberta
Edmonton reports expert oil well firefighter Myron Kinley of Houston may be flown in to battle a raging well fire at Valleyview Alberta after district official D G Streple sought his help. Kinley has previously been called to Alberta sites in 1955 including Rimbey Telfordville and Fort St John.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edmonton
Myron Kinley
Houston
Tex
Valleyview
Alta
D. G. Streple
Hudson Bay Oil and Gas Co
Kinley
Los Angeles
Alberta
Rimbey
Telfordville
Fort St. John
B.C
Christmas Day Temperature Record Topped 1928 Mark
Medicine Hat recorded 51.3 amid the mildest Christmas since 1928, beating the old 50.3 high. The warm spell began December 17, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s across Alberta and western Saskatchewan.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Medicine Hat
Santa
Holiday traffic tolls rise in Canada and U S
Canadian report lists 39 highway deaths by Christmas Eve with 58 accidental deaths, plus nine fires and four drownings amid a five day outlook. In the United States an AP tally tallies 867 holiday deaths since Friday, 698 in traffic, surpassing the prior 805 Independence Day record.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canadian Safety Council
United States
Associated Press
U.S. Independence Day
Christmas In Canada 1956 Bright with Refugees and Turkeys
Remote Labrador dog teams guided to Moravian churches as choirs sang. At Saint John 831 Hungarian refugees began new lives. In Toronto children enjoyed ward parties with Santa. Mild West weather contrasted with white scenes in Northern Ontario and parts of Quebec. Television filled homes as turkeys cost less than last year.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Labrador
Saint John
N.B
Toronto
Santa Claus
Canada
West
Vancouver
Lethbridge, Alto
Dauphin
Man
Winnipeg
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Newfound
Ottawa
Montreal
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Queen and Duke pledge faith in Commonwealth future
In a BBC Christmas broadcast from Sandringham and the royal yacht Britannia, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh pledged commitment to the Commonwealth. The Queen praised unity and urged refuge for families driven from home by war, as Charles and Anne listened nearby.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Reuters
Elizabeth
Duke of Edinburgh
BBC
Sandringham
Norfolk
Britannia
South Pacific
Prince Charles
Princess Anne
Mother Elizabeth
Princess Margaret
Duke
Duchess of Gloucester
Duchess of Kent
Duke of Kent
Alexandra
Prince Michael
Commonwealth
80 Persons Spend Yule In Hospital
Eighty people spent Christmas in hospital along with staff. An air of Christmas filled the wards with a tree and carols. The Salvation Army delivered fruit and candy while Musichords sang to patients as turkey and pudding were served. Student nurses joined in singing in the halls.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Salvation Army
Musichords
BLFE Calls Strike Vote On CPR Locomotive Firemen
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen authorized a telegraphic strike vote among CPR members. The conciliation board recommended a 12 percent wage rise and allow diesel engine elimination for certain jobs, with CPR previously accepting the majority report.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Montreal
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen
CLC
Canadian Pacific Railwart of
W. E. Gamble
Brotherhood
Conciliation Board
CPR
Stork Delivers Christmas Baby in Medicine Hat
Mrs. Frederick Baker gave birth to a son at 10:58 PM weighing eight pounds one half ounce, the fourth child for the Bakers. Mr. Baker works as a seismographist with the National Geophysical Co. New residents to the city, the Bakers join a quiet Christmas at the maternity hospital, preserving the Yuletide record.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Medicine Hat
Frederick Baker
403Rd St. S.W
Bakers
Baker
National Geophysical Co
Record Shopping Wave Hits Medicine Hat During Christmas
Medicine Hat retailers posted record Christmas sales far above 1954 and 1955, with demand lasting longer than expected. Merchants anticipated a peak last Friday, yet Saturday remained busy and Monday proved brisk as last minute shoppers and bargain hunters overwhelmed staff.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Medicine Hat
Also Mentioned on This Page
Kenny
Jean
Peggy
Optometrists
2Nd Street
Medicine Hattel
Dawson Creek
B. C
Dawson Creek Memorial
Regina
Sandra Woolbaum
Mrs. J. Woolbaum
Vegreville
Mary Hayduk
Hoadley
Pearl Lamont
Rimbey District
Sechest
Sechelt
Ruby Lake
William Lloyd
Wilma
Powell River
Pender Harbour
Saskatoon
Doug Layton
Wagner
Lesser Slave Lake
Lethbridge
Claresholm
Cord
Rocky Mountains
Prairies
Saskatchewan
Park Garage
George Glasser
John Miller
Ald
Ed Heckbert
Clint MacPhails
Roy Keating
Tammy Legge
Fred Mills
Fred R. Millican
Dick Dickson
John Davies
Casey Valkenburg
Bill Hogle
Queen
Stork
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