Pilfering?

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 61, 28 June 1948, Page 4

Pilfering?

Non-Arrival Of Gift Parcels In U.K. The allegation that gift parcels from overseas had failed to arrive in the United Kingdom or had arrived in a pilfered condition, was made in the House of Lords last month. The Minister of State for Colonial Affairs (The Earl of Listowel) replied that a large number of the allegations of non-arrival of parcels from overseas were unfounded. “In many cases,” he said, “addressees in Britain, having received advice, frequently by air mail, that a parcel has been sent to them, not realising the transport and other difficulties, assume far too quickly that ''the parcel which is in fact on the way has already been lost,” It was important to bear in mind the vast increase in parcel traffic since pre-war days, continued Lord Listowel. It had risen from about 1,750,000 parcels a year in 1939 to about 17,000,000 a year at the present time. The majority were gift parcels. The volume of parcel traffic awaiting shipment to Britain was frequently far in excess of the shipping capacity, and delay in dispatch was often inevitable. '“Losses due to pilfering and damage in transit unfortunately sometimes occurred, but the number of such losses was very'small when related to the traffic concerned,” said Lord Listowel. “The most important factor concerning damage to, and loss of contents from, overseas parcels is bad packing. .Owing to bad packing, large numbers of parcels from overseas are received in a damaged condition. Frequently contents are loose in the mail bags.”