The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 477, 22 February 1881, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22.

Concerning the missing mail of last Monday, the lollowiug are the particulars, so far as we have been able to gather them :—lt appears that the bag in question was brought by the steamer, and delivered (according to rule) at the Pigeon Bay Post Office. It was not handed by the local postmistress to the coach driver. As there was an extra bagforAkaroa containing the English mail, the latter received his usual number of bags, and consequently did not think there was one deficient. On finding that it had not arrived, the postmaster at Akaroa telegraphed at once to Lyttelton to know if it had been detained there, and also to Ohristchurch, for instructions. In consequence of instructions from Christchurch, he telegraphed on the following morning to Duvauchelle's Bay instructions for Mr Lee to send over to Pigeon Bay ior the missing bag. This Mr Lee did, but it appears that his messenger was unable to find the postmistress. On Wednesday morning the Lyttelton postmaster came down to Pigeon Bay to see about the matter, and the same day the bag was forwarded to Aknroa with Wednesday's mail.

Our readers are now in possession of all the facts as far as we can gather them, and can apportion the blame for the delay as they think fit. One thing, however, strikes us very forcibly on the matti r. There is an amount of useless red tape about the forwarding of the mails per Pigeon Bay which would be as well done away with at once. The steamer Titan carries the mails from Lyttelton to Pigeon Bay, and Mr Lee's coaches bring it to and from the latter place to Akaroa. But although the coach meets "the steamer, the mails are not transferred direct from the one to the other. That would be ton simple a matter and quite nnn-of/ieiul . No ; tli3 steamer proprietors have (o send the mails about a mile up the local post office, and the coach must call for them. Thus in true official stylo a greater amount of delay ig insured, and the risk of anything going wrong is multiplied. As a matter of fact, this late detention would probably not have occurred if the transfer had taken place direct from the steamer to the coach. The Pigeon Buy office is only what is called a " {vuntry one," ond there is no earthly reason why the postmaster or postmi>tn:ss there should be burdened .with the responsibility of attending to auy mails but tin , local ones. Would it be too much to hope that the lute accident nny to

an alteration in this tclvu! , !

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