SYDNEY POST OFFICE MUDDLES.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16165, 20 March 1918, Page 4

SYDNEY POST OFFICE MUDDLES.

(kroji orit own coRKEsroxDENT.) SYDNEY, Marcli 13. Exactly two years ago, Mr William Webster," the Federal Postmaster-Gene-ral, was in New Zealand, enquiring into the postal system of tho Dominion. To one who interviewed hint on his return, lie expressed qualified admiration of the New Zealand system. He said thai- ho had learned something from feir Joseph Ward, but had taught the New Zealand Postmaster-General something in return. He appeared to believe that he (Mr Webster) was ono of the great Postmaster-Generals of the world. He said that the art of running a post office properly was his hobby, his iilework. and his religion. This is the habitual pose of Mr Webster. He seems unable to realise that

his institution is anything but a won"derful organisation, a well-oiled and | thoroughly efficient bit of machinery, j He meets critics with the assumption , that they can't possibly be serious: he argues luriously with them when at last convinced that they really mean it. | As a matter of fact, the Federal Post ; and Telegraph Department is, with tho j exception of the Department of T>e- j fence, the Department which comes in , for more bitter criticism worse than all the rest put together. It is everlastingly suffering tho lash of public discontent. Everyone knows that there is more fuss over the ono letter that goes astray than over the nine hundred and ninetynine thousand safely delivered; that an irascible subscriber will get excited over ono -wrong number, though he has had efficient servico for a week. IJut, recognising all this, there are indications of mismanagement and muddle nil over tho Post and Telephone Department (the Telegraph Department, is not so often tho subject of complaint). These troubles are more apparent in Sydney than anywhere else. A letter posted in a Sydney suburb on, say, Tuesday evening, will not reach another Sydney suburb until Thursday or Friday. Letters posted in many of the suburbs after 8 p.m. are not cleared until the following morning. There aro not, in any of the main city post offices, facilities for buying stamps after hours, such as one may see in Auckland or Wellington. The telephone service would drive ono to distraction. In so congested a city, with so many subexchanges, and with half the exchanges under the automatic system, great efficiency is absolutely essential. It is

lacking, with deplorable results. The Sydney subscriber pays so much per call, and constantly alleges that lie is being overcharged on the number of calls. There is no method of cheeking; it is simply the total supplied, without data, by the telephone girl. The explanation is, of coursc, that tlio subscriber, trying frantically to get his number, gets charged two or three times over for the one call. AVherefore. the "Sunday Times' 1 : "Nobody oaros particularly what Mr Webster is, so far «6 he is personally concerned. But he is Postmaster-GeDe-lal. It may be a joke, but it _is a tragic joke* on Australia. It is our Department he is maladministering our money he is wasting, our patience lie is lipping into shred 6. AVe arc convinced that one result of an enquiry by a Commission would be to pitch Mr "Webster back into the place whero he belongs— outside."