CHRISTMAS MAILS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 81, 30 December 1920, Page 6

CHRISTMAS MAILS

DELAY IN REACHING NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS AT THE POST OFFICE This year's Christmas mails from the United Kingdom to New Zealand have taken an exceptionally long time to arrive. By the Port Nicholson, which readied Auckland yesterday from Sydney, there was brought a very heavy mail, whigli will, it is anticipated, reach Wellington at midday to-day by the Main Trunk oxprcss. Those persons who have been expecting greetings, letters, mid presents from the United Kingdom have been kept in a state of constant anticipation for some timo past. It was thought that the Manuka, which arrived from Australia on Tuesday, would bring the greater portion of the mails, but the only postal matter carried by the intercolonial steamer was the usual quota of Australian mail. Surpriso has been expressed in many quarters at tho action of the Australian Postal authorities in placing an important and much-sought-after mail on a steamer that was not likely to arrive in the Dominion until after the usual mail steamer from Australia, and it was felt, especially in business circles, that laxity had been shown by those in control in the Commonwealth.

The Chief Postmaster at Wellington (Mr. H. D. Grocott) told a Dominion reporter yesterday that the Australian Postal officials might have had many reasons for their action in sending tho Englisa mail by the Port Nicholson. "They do not advise us until the timo of dispatch," lie said, "and the New Zealand Postal authorities have no say in the matter; It oamo rather as a fiurprise that the Manuka did not carry the mail, for it was known that after tho delays as the result of the shipping trouble in Australia, the mails, already much belated, would be eagerly awaited. Of course, there may have been many reasons for the non-use of the regular mail steamer. The Port Nicholson might have been in the stream coaling beforo it was known that the Manuka could cret away, and tlio mails accordingly placed on tho former steamer, It u mainly a question of the judgment of tho officials concerned in Australia. In our own case, just recently it was found necessary to decide whether or not a mail for England and Amcrica should be placed on the Niagara,, whose departure was uncertain, or on another steamer going via Panama. We decided that the best dispatch would be by tho other steamer, and wo accordingly tooK the chance that the Niagara wou d not be ready. Our judgment proved correct. Howeyer, in the case < af. the Port Nicholson, I would_ reiterate tlmt we New Zealand authorities had ijotliin., to say in the.matter. But the Christmas mails are here now, and the distribution will take place immediately. CHRISTMAS AT THE'POST OFFICE marked decrease in business FROM LAST YEAR. The absence of out-going English mails apparently had a considerable effect on the business transacted at the Wellington PosfOffice during the four, days ended on Christmas Eve, and the returns show a marked decrease on the volume of business done for the corresponding period of lost year. In the °P im °a ° fthe Chief Postmaster, business was com paratively slack, Mr. Grocott considering that the main factor in the decrease wa3 the purely insular nature of tne mail matter. ' , The total number of mail ibags and hampers, both outward and dealt with during the four days was 8277, or 274 less than m 1919, wlien the total number was 8551. The sales of stamps at the Post Omco during the four days amounted to •£SGG3, as against £SGG2 for the corresponding period of last year. The Chief Postmaster remarked on diminutive increase--£1— which was remarkable, considering the increased rates of postal cbaTges. He consiiders ionever that had there been any out-goin„ mails to England and America tln-io would probably have been a-larger trease in stamp sales. This Christmas, as far as the Office is concerned, has presented t striking features. The traffic in time-lionoured Christmas card has remarkably decreased. Postal o foci, state that never beforo ''» s tho ™ lB 'f; of Christmas cards P" l ,. ?, office been so On the other hand fminrnnprecedented'fawur 'with the one hundred bags of mail for the United Kingdom and the United States of America on the lonic, which is to leave shortly.