On This Day, 7 December 1918

Birmingham Mail

Saturday 7 December 1918

ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS.

BIRMINGHAM POST OFFICE AND POLL CARDS

While the Post Office is doing its best to meet the extra pressure occasioned by the election, it has been found necessary to issue special instructions in regard to the distribution of polling cards, a task which is heavier than previous General Elections in consequence of the greatly increased number of voters, brought about by the extension of the franchise to women. Every credit must be given to the postwomen, who perform their duties cheerfully in all weathers, but they are not capable of carrying so heavy a weight as a man, and there are additional difficulties owing to the inroads influenza has made upon the Birmingham staff, 150 postwomen and 100 sorters being stricken by the complaint. A man ordinarily carries 30lb. as compared with 20lb. allotted to a woman, and a man will start out with 60 or 70lb. of letters in an emergency rather than cover the ground twice over. On these grounds the Birmingham Post Office asks that all polling cards should be posted between ten o’clock and four o’clock on Monday, as the officials cannot guarantee the delivery time of any cards posted later than Wednesday.

The ballot papers of the absent voters sent out from Birmingham have all been dealt with, in fact those—to the number of 50,000 or 60,000—which were posted on Thursday, were all got away within 24 hours, though—Birmingham being a concentration office—a number posted elsewhere were being dealt with to-day. These, it was stated, would be cleared during the afternoon, and there should be difficulty in getting the papers returned by the 28th in time for the counting.