DELIBERATE DESTRUCTION OF RURAL MAIL BOXES

Chronicle (Levin), 24 June 1947, Page 7

DELIBERATE DESTRUCTION OF RURAL MAIL BOXES

Between last Friday night and Saturday morning some iifty rural mai! boxes, on the rural mail deih'ery route between Makino Road and Rewa were deliberately destroyed by unknown persons. Discovery of this totally senseless form of miscjiief was made on Saturday morning by the mail contractor, Mr. R. Harford, of Feilding, who first became aware of the trouble at Junction road some three miles from the Cheltenham Dairy Co. 's factory. The boxes had been broken off their posts and in cases where the boxes were more firmly secured, posts had been removed and even gates broken where the boxes were secured to the gates. As he proceeded along the route to Waituna every rural mail box had been subjected to this stupid form of mischief. It was learned yesterday that the number of boxes affeeted totalled approximately 50 and the damage extended to the top of Rewa hill. The police were informed of the mischief ana pro ceeded to carry out investigations. Most of the boxes are of the type supplied by the Postal Department at a nominal cost to the settler who is responsible "for fixmg fhera in a suitable position. Some of the boxes are home made but the majority were of the standardised form and the loss is the concern of the settler. Everyone along the route is at a loss to aceount for this strange attack on private property. It was clearly not a ■matter of robbing mail boxes since very few, if any, of the boxes would have anything worthwhile in them. In any case if robbery of the-contehts was the idea there would be no need to smash the boxes because thby are never locked and are easily opened' to facilitate the delivery and collection of mail by the contractor. Even the circumstances of this one /route being sorted out for senseles mischief does not at the moment appear to offer any clue to the culprits and it is not clear whether the work of destruetion commenced at Rewa hill or on the Makino road. What is clear is the fact that it was systematically carried out and almost all boxes were removed and even posts pulled out where the boxes were stubborn to the first attack.