G.P.O. REMOVAL: INTERESTING STATISTICS '

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1007, 23 December 1910, Page 6

G.P.O. REMOVAL: INTERESTING STATISTICS '

■ -— — - The removal of tho G.P.O. from St.-Martin's-le-Graiid to the new building in King Edward Street was completed farly' on Monday morning, November 7. The new offices had been fitted up in every particular, and the old offices, wi'th their irere , lcft exactly as they were. 411 that was done was to finish Sunday nights work at St. Mar.tin's-le-Grand and start Monday's wort at Ring Edward street. _ The sorters,, numbering over 1000, dealt with the outgoing mails in their old quarters, and arrangements were' made' for the incoming mails to be delivered at the new. The office has issued-a remarkably - interesting pamphlet, giving, among other things, some indication of the changed conditions since the old building in ■ St. Martin's-le-Grand waafirst occupied. 1829-1910. The following are some of the com-' parisons set out in;the pamphlet;— * ' 1829. • •19X0.":' No. of staff ...; SOO, 20,000 No. of post offices and post-boxes in • London • 425 4,60J No. letters delivered . within ah area of 12 miles per week 400,000 22,000,000 There was only one daily general collection .of letters for the country throughout London in 1829. The average postage paid on a, letter to and from the provinces was about 9d., and the postage in London was 2d. for a . letter posted and delivered within three miles of the G.P.0., and 3d. within an area of twelve miles. There, were six daily collections, in the central parts of London in connection with the twopenny post; now there aro seventeen or eighteen of' all classes oU correspondence ill the ; central districts; The (ldiverics of London let-te-rs numbered six in 1829, but there was only one delivery of correspondence from tho provinces. Now there are-twelve deliveries of all classes.

Lord Strathcona, High Commissioner for Canada, Sir George Reid, Hisjh .Commissioner for Australia, and Sir William Hall-Jones, High Commissioner for Nsw Zealand, were amoug the numter of distinguished guests who paid a visit to the new post office at King Edward Building, at the invitation of tho PostmasterGeneral. Tho party were shown all over the fine new structure, which has been erectcd at a cost of and w'ill house abont 4300 officials.