POSTAL FACILITIES.

Evening Star, Issue 23685, 19 September 1940, Page 10

POSTAL FACILITIES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Can you please inform me who is the Pooh Bah that seems bent on disrupting, if not completely ending, the postal service in the Anderson’s Bay district? First he decides to cease the collection of mail from the pillar boxes after dark (or some such foolish and oppressive measure), thus depriving the residents of a very great and necessary convenience. Secondly, he decides, on the pretence of conserving the postman’s time and expediting deliveries, that householders must go to the expense of erecting a letter box at their gate. If a little supervision were exercised over the postmen there would be no need to talk of expediting deliveries. At present these men put in a very great deal of their time gossiping in various places on their rounds, and there appears to be no attempt whatever to see that they reasonably exert themselves to do the work that they are paid for doing, and meanwhile deliveries become later, and later. Thirdly, this same authority recently decided to close the Musselburgh Rise Post Office, and did so apparently off his own bat and entirely without notifying or consulting the residents of Musselburgh Rise or Tainui. This post office was opened some two years ago, after long and repeated efforts by the inhabitants to get better postal facilities. It has proved a great boon to the people of this large and growing district, and this summary closing of it has caused considerable indignation. Surely the rights of the public in the foregoing matters should receive first consideration, or is it that under our Labour Government the, Civil servant has become our master?—l am, etc., Tainui.

September 19. [The question of clearance of mail from postal boxes has been well discussed in this paperi The erection of letter boxes at the gates of private homes is a war economy measure, well covered by the regulations. It is not purely a local departure, but applies to the whole of New Zealand. Regarding the Musselburgh Rise Post Office,' the chief postmaster informs us that this office was run in conjunction with a store. When the business was sold the new owner did not wish to carry on the post office. The department made strenuous inquiries to find someone else willing to take over the post office, but without success. Leading residents of the district were also approached, but no. practical suggestions were forthcoming. In the meantime the post office is temporarily closed, buf so soon as someone expresses a willingness to take over the duties, which are not onerous, it will be reopened.—Ed. E.S.] j