RED TAPE AT THE POST OFFICE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1447, 4 January 1887, Page 3

RED TAPE AT THE POST OFFICE.

It is not often that we trouble the public with the grievances of newspaptr proprietors, but circumstances compel us m this occasion to do so. With the Mail of Saturday, j.st instanf, we issued a sheet almanack and encl is.id one m each of our papers, naturally supposing that they would reach the hands of our subscriber, the offices of our exchanges, and the public institutions which are supplied with free copies, m due course. It was with much disgust, therefore, that we found on reaching our office yesterday that the papers intended for transmission by post had been returned to us with the polite intimation that i^d additional postage must be placed on subscribers' copies, and ad on exchanges, as the papers could not be corwardtrd with the sheet almanacks enclosed except at let'er rates. Ia vain we pointed out that each almanack contained the words " Ashburton Mail " m large type, the reply being that ihe inset must bear the word " supplement " and have the publisher's impiint at foot. Accordingly we found it necessary to run them through the machine again, an 3 this time they I pass unchallenged. We do not blame Mr Douglas, the Ashburton postmaster, as he assures us that he is acting strictly m conformity with the regulations of the department, but we do say that it is altogether an absurd piece of red tape which insists on the word "supplement" and an imprint being attached to a sheet almanack, bearing ehe name of the paper by which it is issued. The thing is ridiculous, and while we are about it w£ may as well point out another piece of absurdity, viz, the requirement that every exchange paper should be franked with the name, written or impressed by stamp, of some employee of the publisher's. What on earth for, we wonder ? Is it not enough to say that a paper addressed to a newspaper shall pass free as an exchange ? Does anybody other than the Secretary for the Post Office or the Postmaster-General — whichever or whoever be responsible for the ridiculous regulation — suppose that the outside public will take to buying newspapers for the pleasure of posting them to newspaper offices as exchanges ? Why then all this nonsense and fuss, involving the necessity of advising Wellington if the franking officer Le absent, or if another take his place? The whole thing is a piece of unnecessary and purely official redtape, which might be got rid of to the benefit of all parties concerned.