A HEAVY MAIL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 250, 10 July 1918, Page 5

A HEAVY MAIL

THE ALTERED DELIVERY SYSTEM. . A matter of fifteen years ago a San Francisco or Vancouver mail was considered a large one if it comprised 800 bags altogether, but by the Moana, which arrived horo from San Francisc'o tn Simday evening, there were 1001 bags for Wellington alone, and 2.350 bags alto-, getter, all of which had to bo handled in Wellington by a staff that is not quite eo used to tho work as was the case, say, four years ago. •What the public do not appreciate is that the recent curtailments in deliveries mean nil alteration in the delivery system. The letter-carriers' "walks" in.the city, when they had five deliveries a day, had, necessarily, lo be small ones, but since the curtailments tho "walks" have been extended, ?nd every man now has a "walk-and-a-half" to cover instead of a "walk," and ho naturally does not know tho extension so well for a week or two. That is the ~eason why there has been, little delays in delivery during tho past week, a shortcoming that will be corrected as tho men get used to the longer "walks." Tho arrival of big mails, such as (hat brought by the Moana on Sunday evening, imposes a otraiu lor a time on a depleted staff. For instance, to sort tho Moana's big mail tho staff arrived at the office at 5 a.m. on Monday, and did not get through until 9 o'clock that night.