The Globe. TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1879.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1590, 25 March 1879, Page 2

The Globe. TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1879.

The question of the establishment of a satisfactory parcel post in Now Zealand is commencing to attract considerable attention. The post office parcel post system at present in force in this country does not apply to articles exceeding 51bs. in weight, and consequently is of no practical value for general purposes. The parcel department in connection with the railways is execrably managed,' and other methods can hardly bo said to exist. Professor Jevons may claim the credit of having stirred the antipodean mind into a sense of the desirability of a more perfect system being evolved. In the December number of the .“ Contemporary Review,” enlarging on the thesis that “ Friendship, literature, science, and art —civilization in all its phases—are promoted by nothing so surely as the interchange of ideas and goods,” he affirms that “ a universal parcel post would bo the harbinger of universal free trade.” Last Saturday’s “Otago Daily Times” contains a very interesting article on the whole question as applicable to Now Zealand. The writer illustrates the existing state of affairs by narrating a typical case that happened to himself when ho sent a box from Hastings, in Hawke's Bay, to Motuoka, a place about thirty miles from Nelson. The box in question had once held a dozen of brandy, but was, for the time, doing duty as a receptacle for various small valuables. The way in which the sender and recipient wore bled is thus described: “ The consignor gave it in at the railway depot at Hastings, and paid carriage to

Napier. There Messrs. Blank received it, and charged 2s (id receiving, Is. storage, and 2s fid delivery to steamer. Tho Raugatira took it to Wellington, charge Bs (!d, and there Messrs Dash charged 2s Od receiving, and 2s (>d delivery to steamer. The Hawca carried it to Nelson, charge 2s (id, and there a gentleman received it, without any sort of permission, paid all charnoS, with an additional Is wharfage, put himself down for a further charge of 2s (id, and paid, carriage hy rail to Richmond, in amount about Is (id. There the parcel taken in hand hy tho coach-, anil it j finally arrived in Motuoka saddled wiH, 2s coach charge, plus all t /ffiovo items. They will ho fc’.md to amount to about £1 7s, or something like £4O per toi\ ■measurement, or £8 ( ) per ton weight, for a distance of about 200 miles.” All these complications happened in a case in which very little coach work was required, and where no difficulty arose in tho way of Custom regulations The writer then proceed' l to discuss the Swiss and Prussian systems, as examples of the perfection to which parcel deli Very may bo brought, By way of pointing the moral ho rotates ’ode 6r two apposite stories, ob.o of which wo reproduce a The writer was strolling through the Trinkhall at Schlangorthad, in Nassau, when a friend remarked. ‘ Very poor cigars those ; try my man in Hanover,’ Now to an Englishman it certainly appeared absurd to send to a town 200 miles off for goods invoiced at less t han £J. However, tho letter was sent, and in about throe days tho box of cigars came. Tho charge, although Schlangonbad is not a railway station, and can only bo reached by a long coach ride, was five groschon, or exactly sixpence of our money.” Tho contrast between tho history of tho Now Zealand case of small valuables and tho Gorman box of cigars is so great that no comment is required. A great bar to any good Governmental system of paid parcel delivery being introduced into England would of course bo the fact that the railway traffic is in tho hands of private companies, who would naturally resist any attempt to diminish their profits. In Now Zealand, whore tho railways are State property, no difficulty on this score could arise, the matter would be merely one of routine. The benefits to bo derived, and the operations to bo conducted, are indeed of so wide a nature that it is hardly conceivable that any other system, but one under Government, could be expected to succeed. The Parcels Department would bo under tho public eye, and each M.H.R. would be as profoundly interested iu the success of tho scheme as tho trader or the merchant.

Turning to the question of tariff, those who have bestowed most thought on tho subject have come to the conclusion that, however desirable for simplicity sake it might bo for tho cost of transit to depend solely on the weight of tho parcels irrespective of distance, yet, that the cost of parcel transit being largo, it is necessary that the factor of distance must bo taken into consideration. Professor Jovons has constructed the following table, which we give, promising that of course modifications would bo required, even if it were adopted as a base for a Now Zealand scale: —

The writer in the “ Otago Daily Times” concludes the article wo have referred to, by mentioning the method Professor Jevous proposes for ascertaining at a glance the the carriage payable on any given parcel. Maps are to be published with distance circles. “ Such maps could bo produced for every town and village in the country without extra initial cost, because the colour-stone could be shifted so as to print its centre over any spot ” Such is an outline of the general scheme which is commencing to occupy public attention. It is only wonderful that more has not been said on the matter before. It may be that the public has groaned so long under the evils of the present system, that habit has blinded it to the absurdity of allowing such a state of things to continue. A little energy displayed in tho matter and wo may soon see Professor Jovons’ theories bearing benificont fruit.

Relaxing somewhat from the cares and perplexities of municipal business, the members of the City Council appear to have been enjoying themselves at a game of “ bide and seek.” It may not bo generally known that there is in course of formation a gallery of portraits, which will, it is hoped, act as an incentive to generations yet unborn to simulate the virtues of those pictured worthies whose counterfeit presentments grace tho council walls. In tho remote and pre-Oas-sian era there was consternation amongst the civic fathers on discovering that mysteriously tho portrait of one of the most prominent and eloquent of the tribunes had vanished. Strange to relate, nothing is hoard of tho missing picture until a friendly hand disinters it from amongst the rubbish in a lumber room. How it, got there is still a mystery, Tho same good friend having communicated tho fact of his discovery, tho question arose how what it to bo restored to its pride of place. First, however, the noble tribune had to repay tho inestimable service rendered him by bis faithful friend. Thereupon ensued a touching scone. The virtue of gratitude has never been more strikingly exemplified. The faithful finder of the heir-loom was attacked by enemies. Whoso voice was hoard loudest in his defence? Who metaphorically took tho defenceless one to his bosom and covered him as with a shield with his ample snowy vest ? Tho tribune whose expansive features bad so long been hidden in the receptacle for (be municipal dust pan and shovel. Cynics have sneered at tho thought of gratitude existing in this world, but here is a grand example of the fact. Then came tlie crowning feat of restoring the picture to its proud position without oxciting comment. With a strategy worthy of a Bismarck this was effected when those pestilent follows the reporters, leaving the Council in committee, had departed. It is to bo regretted that the touching eloquence, the triumph of oppressed virtue over its maligners, should for

over Inst to us. What a scono for a grand Historical picture. Gulielmus rejoicing over tho restoration of his photo. But the strangest part lias yot to como. Simultaneously with the ro-hahilitation of tho long expatriated portrait, two others disappear from tho long lino, of municipal worthies. How, when, and whore is a deep, dark mystery, tho solution of which wo await with the deepest anxiety.

Under 50 100 200 400 GOO miles, lbs B d s d s d B d s d 5 0 3 0 <1 0 5 0 7 0 10 10 0 4 0 5 0 7 1 0 1 5 15 0 4 0 G 0 10 1 5 2 1 20 0 5 0 7 1 0 1 in 2 8 20 0 G 0 10 1 5 2 8 ;; 11 50 0 9 1 2 2 3 4 ■I G 5 100 1 3 2 3 4 4 8 G 12 8