MAILS FOR SPRINGBURN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2286, 25 November 1889, Page 2

MAILS FOR SPRINGBURN.

The extension of the railway to Springburn, and opening of that portion for traffic, combined with tho representations of the residents m the district, concerned m business with Ashburton and elsewhere, has caused an alteration to be made m the mail arrangements m that locality, as on and after Dec. 2nd the tri-weekly mail coach from jMethven, to Alford Forest will cease running, and instead a new daily mail coach line will be started, running from Alford Forest to Springburn m the morning, arriving at the latter place before tho i train starts for Ashburton, and then returning to the Forest with the np mails which have arrived by train on tho previous evening. This new contract will be run at a considerable saving to tho postal department as compared with fchftt from Methven and being for a daily service may suit the Alford Forest people, but if tho proposed arrangement bo carried out it will certainly not suit the Springburn residents so well aa tho present one by which they can, if necessary, answer letters, arriving m the fivenirg, on tho morning lollowing' their arrival. The railway station iB about i a mile and a-half from. f,ho fphool house (and the presont post office) ,' nnd a contract now exists by which the mails nee delivered from tbe railway station to \

be post office? on the arrival of the train i tho evening, and tbe out mails taken j! Rom the post office to the station m the rj norning ; and, considering the saving naclo under the new contract, it is fi nought that the above sub-contract t hould be continued, as otherwise the r nail-bags for Springburn will remain al he railway station from the evening ] intil after the departure of the train on ] ihe following niorning, when they are to \ je delivered at the post office by the ( joach on the retii^a journey to Alford Forest, The result of this pro- t posal will be that a letter posted m 1 Christchurcb, say by the first train on .' Monday morning, will not be delivered j at Springburn before Tuesday morning, and the answer will, at soonest, reach Ohristchurch, on Wednesday evening. It is surely reasonable to expect that when the mail-bags are within such a short distance of the post office some means should be found for their delivery tho same evening at the school, especially as that happens to be a considerable distance from the dwellings of the bulk of the residents, and, at any rate, during the summer months the evening is tbe most conven : ent time for people m the country to go for their mails.