CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18889, 3 January 1927, Page 10

CORRESPONDENCE.

| THE WAIMAKARIRJ. to tbj csrrox or tbs fbess. Sir, —If your correspondent, Mr Holland, re-reads my letter, ho will see that I did not object to a bridge, i which 1 stated must be built whichever diversion of the river was adopted, but to what I believe will surely prove to' be an under-estimato of its cost. We have got a Hver and have got an Act! The time has arrived for helpful criticism. I take it the real purpose of Mr Holland's letter is to be found in his enquiry how I propose to meet expenditure for bridges and land acquired. To this I may reply that I think for these purposes a loan is inevitable, but not a loan of £200,000, against which I voted last year. Too abundant loan njoney in the hands of local bodies nearly always leads to extravagance. While on the subject, I may say that though I approve of the No. 2 cut, I consider the Trust is making provision for unnecessary width, and that there is no occasion whatever to include the Wright homesteads, which would involve an extra cost of probably £SOOO. I consider that to set out to destroy such a wide block of valuable land is both unnecessary and wasteful. The new cut should be narrow, deep, and swift, not wide and meandering.— Yours, etc., GEORGE GOULD. ■ January Ist, 1927.

THE POSTMAN'S WORK. TO THE BDITOB 07 THE PRESS. Sir, —In reference to "Observer's" letter in to-day's Press, for the information of .those interested, will you be kind enough to allow me to state that in the collection of pillar boxes in England, under no circumstances is the postman permitted to handle the letters. Arriving at the box, he opens the door, unhitches the bag, which has an india-rubber ring around the top of it, which, of course, automatically closes, slips on another bag on the sleeve to replace the one removed, lifts the mail-bag with its contents into the waiting mail-van, and is off to collect the next box in no time. This method is exceedingly expeditious. Each box may have to be cleared several times a day, so a supply' of enamelled tablets is taken out on. the first round from head office, and at each collection the proper tablet is slipped into the slot provided, advising the public when the next collection will be made, and each previous tablet has to be taken to the collecting office and delivered to the proper official, which ensures that each box has actually been cleared, and not, as I am afraid is sometimes the case here, overlooked. Under this system, there is no possible chance of correspondence being lost, stolen, or blown down the street, and there is an absolute check on the collection of every letter box at the stipulated time. As your correspondent "Observer" remarks, an improved pillar box is required. My own opinion is that the present boxes and the system of clearinc them are obsolete.

I would also add my appreciation of i the postmen's efforts during inclement | weather and the busy season. —Yours, j " EX. P.O. OFFICIAL. December 30th. HOSPITAL AMENITIES. TO THB COITOS 0» TBB PRESS. Sir, —As a patient of No. 2 Ward, Christchurch Hospital, I wish to convey to the Ladies' Visiting Association my grateful thanks for their kind gifts at Christmas. It is nice and cheering to know that, although one is not personally known to the association, they are kindly thought of as patients. And a word of thanks to those untiring and ever-smiling nurses, who have been so good under trying circumstances. —Yours, etc., A GRATEFUL PATIENT. SUMNER BEACH. TO THB ECITOS 0» TH* PBIS3. Sir,— May I appeal, through your pages, to the Sumner authorities to do something in the matter of the rough steps where ■ the new esplanade i touches the Caive Rock ? One has only to negotiate them with a small child or two to curse them with all one's heart. They are ugly, steep, and dangerous, and the expressions seen oil the faces of climbers are ugly and dangerous, too, even if their language is not "steep." When first seen they lead one to suppose that the esplanade is unfinished there and is destined to be continued to touch the rock. This, however, is not so. Then their present state is, I suppose, meant to be ornamental or useful. In fact it is neither. Those out for a climb have the rock itself; those in a hurry to take a family to the beach find them more than' a mere hindrance. Perambulators and go-carts cannot bo got down them at all and elderly and young people have to bo helped. Surely the engineer who built the rest_ could do' something abetter at this point. The obvious thing is a gentle ramp with a grade to suit every sort of traffic. Tins is the more needed at this point because'at present there is no way of getting infants' vehicles on to either beach, and mothers with babies have to leave their charges up above 4 or leave them asleep at home. I am sure, Sir, that if the engineer could hear what is said by such distracted women he would get the surpise of his life and at once supply not one ramp only but two, one for each beach.—Yours, etc.. L. LEWIN. Clifton, Dec; 31st.

THE SEAMEN'S INSTITUTE. TO THE EDITOR 0* THE WESS. Sir,—At the close of a year's work* at the Seamen's Institute, may I, through the medium of your paper, voice my grateful thanks and appreciation of all services rendered me in my work here? It is impossible to thank everyone individually, but I would desire especially to thank the Christchurch Hospital staff, the officers of the Mercantile Marine, Harbour Board, and Union Co. officials, and the secretaries of the Seamen's and Watersiders' Unions for their unfailing courtesy and consideration to all my enquiries. and requests of them. Sly work has been made much easier through their kindness, and I am deeply grateful to all. To the local reporters here and to the Press I would tender mv best thanks for a]l the help afforded me by the insertion of any appeals, and to the publicity of our work.— Yours, etc., F. MINTEY, Superintendent. Lyttelton, Jan. Ist.