Mail Services

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30469, 17 June 1964, Page 16

Mail Services

Sir, —Here is a typical local example. In “The Press” on Saturday one reads of a bereavement. A journey not being possible and a telegram unsatisfactory, a letter should be the answer; but one posted after-9 a.m. lie? in the local Post Office until 5 p.m. on Monday. When. Monday is a holiday another 24 hours go by. The letter may reach the addressee on Wednesday; but allowing for careless sorting —as in two recent instances, when an air-mail letter from Auckland for local delivery went to Hastings, and an outgoing one for the vicinity of Levin, to Waikanae—it may be longer. By comparison, a letter posted in Australia one day may be received early on the following one. —Yours, ANACHRONISM. June 12, 1964. [The. Chief Postmaster (Mr C. J. C. Simpson) said: “Letters posted at a Christchurch suburban office, as mentioned, would be cleared from the office posting box on the 9 a.m., .Saturday, and 9 p.m., Sunday, clearance, and not left until 5 p.m. Monday, as stated by the correspondent. Outward air-mail dispatches are made on Saturday and Sunday. When the Monday is a closed holiday, all boxes are again cleared at 9 p.m. on that ddy. Special clearances were recently made at weekends to ascertain whether a more frequent service was needed, but from ':he quantity of mail received it was apparent that the existing clearances were adequate.”]