THE POST OFFICE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1614, 4 December 1912, Page 8

THE POST OFFICE.

EXTENSION OF POST SYSTEM. V ■ —' IMPROVED TELEPHONE METHODS. INCREASING BUSINESS AND .-REVENUE. ■ (By .Telegraph.-rPress Association.) ~ .Christchurch,,December 3. Tho Hon. H. Rhodes,., PostmasterGeneral, interviewed to-night, .'made a statement .regarding' parcel . post, automatiC't'eleph<jnes,:iniand;mail,service, and increase .of., the., business of :the Department. Ho stated:''lt .would be difficult to say where' the utilisation of parcel post would end.wcro it.not for- the cost of carriage.,andvtho -need:;:of- increasingtile size .of vehicles or multiplying their number. It is. impossible 'to ..disregard' - the necessity of some proportion between the cost and revenue. • I-hope,-however, that the reduction in, rate's: which, is'.-to-come' into- force -on; January.';'!, namely, 3d. for the tirst pound, aiid ljd.vfor each succeeding pound,. will . give, a marked impetus to the operations of the parcel post. -Even wider'the present, rates, tho number of parcels handled is increasing very • rapidly, but? Lhi;re is little doubt that.this reu'iictioh of twenty-five per cent, wilrcreate.'hcw; elates'of'business.' I bave been :payiug,'considerable .attention . lately to thaCcarriage'of'fruit through'tliepost.' In jthe i case! -of' boxes -of fruit;- it .is pro- | posed that the: Department should act as an .intermediary,- the,;, only idea'.being that ahywpersoii cau go to the' post office,/-fill' in a card, and pay the money.for a,box ' of fruit. The post office ii'il.l arrange-all matters ;with-,-the Railway Department and. shipping .companies, and tor the delivery of tho-fruit-on; its arrival. • ' Negotiations ' conceriiihg.a scheme like this appear "tf# bo sl'p>t,;"'as 'the different', companies uhd '-DephrtmcnLS'are -not 'at all times-prepared to.fall-.in with' tho views of 'each,-other. "I may,say; : however, that - the negotiations are. now proceeding more satisfactorily, and I hope it will bo poseibleVtleffiiitely: to pive details-of the 1 scheme before -long. The pest office wishes as 'far as .possible to arrange that pack-ages-of'fruit should, not. pas's through the ordinary iiriails, as' this' will involvesuch special-packing on the part of consignors as ,toirender., tlie" system too.'expensive. Pending the completion ( of. the. details of the jnaiii scteiie,'.it'lias been decided to 'an'ticipato' the' general - reduction , in. parcel' post rates-,-by - allowing packages of small'fruit,' such'as'.strawberries, to pass, .through, the at . the hew , rate. -■ The'sp^.packages, will' have to go ,in the ordinary mails,- and .will, have to be.securejx packed.. .I am considering the inauguration of' a general / agricultural post . by way .of-enabling .ithe , rural .population to dispose of its produce more easily-, but of this. I- am .-unable, to speak - more. definitely "at present., ;I can only say .that tlie matter-will .receive my, serious considera- ■ ' tion.--. '• -.vVAutomatic Telephones., "The telephone, exchanges at the four principal"--towns'- of, the"; Dominion require to be fitted with'more-modern :appliances, and it has beei-decided to introduce the automatic, systeii;/: The needs at. Wellington and.Auckland,exohanges are most pressing, and. tenders' are "about to be invited . for .'a sufficient equipment ,to .supply theniV- -Tho - telephone demands are incre/ysing to such,an extent'in these two . cities .'that. ', the' present switch-board ac-. , conimydatibn\ isyihade'nuate.. New siib- ; ' Bcribers in essting exenanges will, be accommodated' by, automatic methods, so.'ar-. ranged that the working of the'automatic and- manual'' systems may be' carried' on. simultaneously.' This, will enable, the. Department to dispense :"witli introducingfurther .out-of 7 date "or less.efficient appara.Until the system of automatic, equip. ' ment can be fuily effected 1 it will be less costly-.toi ser,ye: new^subscribers "..by this method'. -A small exhibit of the Strowger -. system, has been in operation : in tho GeneralwPost*Office, Welliiigton, 'for some njonths;' with satisfactory, results. Tho exchange requirements.' of : Duncdin - and. Christchurch: will be consitlered' when the outfit for the other two cities is in place. There-ara other [rising towns-of moderate: size- outgrowing the system, which- had met their requirements hitherto. ' It 13 proposed, in tho case .of. these-alsb to introduce the riutotnaKc-.;'s^tem'.'..> ; l;t : . is desirable that the.ybesiiiuiethod . slipuld be adopted, if it The use of - , tlie' : 'aiif6iffatio*'-'syistein. is attracting th^;.attention, of,the admmistrai tions ind companies, engaged in", the telephone business, ; ..bccaiise of. its economical features and superior service it renders. It is expected that the introduction of .the system .into the larger cities, where more than .one exchange can '{be>. opened,. will civa",''increased.': facilities for ,tho. use of . the rtelephbue.'in .suburban . areas...

• ~..lnland Mail Services.. . "With the general re-lotting of, mail services this: ye,w every endeavour has biffin made to further, wherever possible, tho establishment-., of. rural 'mail ..services.. These services will practically enable settlers to enjoy almost the same privileges as are obtained by, those:, living in cities. Boxes .ara erected on, the.mail route' at the nearest.point to!the settlers' .homes, and a settler is thereby enabled-to ree'eiye. and post' his correspondence without having to travel, .in some, cases miles to a post office. . In several of the more thickly populated rural districts tho Department intends to ■ inaugurate ' deliveries by its own officers'.mounted, on motorcycles, and thus' Enable the settlers to enjoy, increased postal facilities. , It is . also, intended to .extend as far as possible ;the ; radius of delivery. ■;'• further,- seve.rnl-tenilerg .have been accepted for services by motor, and, with the improved condition of the roads, it is anticipated that the Department will be able to still further encourage this; very useful means of transport in maiiy.places throughout the Dominion in "the; hear future. ,-r-r?-■ : ;'=.

Incrcass of Business. "Not only does the regular businessj;'of; tho Department continue to expand, but:, new avenues of usefulness are. always: being opened up. The rcvenue-for tiie first half of the current financial year shows the satisfactory, ihcrens» r of nine and a quarter per cent.'..over, the same, period of last year/: having : teaclied'''" ■ a total of if052,0U for the six.months. The increase is not.confined to any class .of business, but is general;. .'.Postal..'Stamp pales increased from X' 27+,203 to ,£294,862. The excess of deposits over withdrawals for the period mentioned is ,*817},805,;: and the .transactions show'',a steadyi-increase! jloney-order transactions' show an increase of eighteen and.a half per cent. in. the amount of orders issued, totalling £1,636,098. Telegraph business' increased in volume by over, eleven , per cent., -. the total number of paid messages' handled having risen to 4,G50,0G5 for th? half-year. From these few figures it ..will .be seen : that. the business 'and: revenue this year promise to very considerably: exceed'.that of the-b year which closed on March 31 last" ' s