LITTLE-KNOWN P.O. SERVICES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 125, 12 June 1937, Page 6

LITTLE-KNOWN P.O. SERVICES

Savings-Bank "Nomination" System LETTERS OF CREDIT An idea of some of the main services performed hy the Post and Telegraph Department and also of the magnitude of the work performed by that department was given by the Postmaster, Mr C. Clark, at the Hastings Rotary Club meeting yesterday, when he gave a "job talk" to his fellow Rotarians. "There are probably not sis of you present wbo are aware of wbat is known as tbe 'nomination5 services tbat the department offers depositors at tbe Savings Bank," be said. "By means of nomination any depositor may allot to any person any portion of tbe amount at credit in bis account on his death. Generally the making of the nomination does not hasten one's death, but it does most certainly hasten financial assistance to one's people. "While it may take six months to obtain probate of a will, tbe amount payable under nomination can be paid over within a few days. Tbe nomination stands good until it is specifically revoked and overrides a will in respect o* Savings Bank deposits Just think of tbis valuable service, you wbo are nof feeling too well," he added amid laugbter. Among otber savings-bank services given were' the letters of credit, wbich proved a great boou to tbe ^ravelling depositor; and tbe general authority, by which a depositor migbt now executo a general order for anotber person to withdraw from bis account on production of a- pass-book. Really a Mlsnomer. In actual fact the descriptive title 'Post and Telegraph" as applied to the department was a misnomer, be said, because tbe Post Office undertook many more services tban tbe dispatcb and delivery of mail and transmission of teiegrams. As. indicating the growth, of one of tbese many services, tbe Post Office savings Bank, be pointed out tbat tbis was established in ifebruary, 1867. In iviay of tbat year a brancb was opened at Napier, the only one for tbe province. It bad seven depositors and tbe amount at their Credit was £71. Tbe Uomimon totals were 830' depositors and £23,320 in deposits. "To-day tbere are 880,000 dej)ositors and tbe amount standmg to ^tlieir credit is over £50,000,000, or about £60 a depositor, or nearly £37 a bead of population,'' be said. "In Hastings alone tbere is about £1,000,000, on deposit, and practically the whole amount eould be called up tit any time." Mr Clark went on to deal with tbe mail service and said that New Zeatanders were good correspondents. Of iccenfe years tbe number of letters posted bad been about 150,000,000 » year, which was equal to about 89 per nead of population. Paekets and commercial papors posted every year totalied about '100,000,000, and tbere were also over 15,000,000 newspapers sent througli the post. Pcople's Thoughllessness •JCvery year over 30,000 postal packefcs are posted witbout addresses," be oaid. "Even in a small p'.ace sticb as Hastings, every day we get pareels and letters witbout any address on them. Most of tbem find their way to the 'dead-letter' office — and tbe department gets tbe blame for tbe non-de-livery, of course." New Zealand and South Africa were the 6nly two countries that enjoyed penny postage, be added. It applied to New Zealand outwaivl mail to all parts of tbe British Empire and to a few other conntrien. Tq otber lands, how-

ever, the international xate of 2Jd. applies, and very frequently paekets, particularly periodicals and newspapers, were posted with tbe ordinary penny postage, but were overweigbt, and consequently this frequently involved a deficinecy charge of a3 much as sixpence to an annoyed addressee. The "Wire" services One of tbe outstanding . features of recent years gs regarded the telepbonic service, he said, had been the marked improvement in the efficieiicy of longdistance communication. Thanks to an invention called the "carrier-TCurrent'' system, it was now possible for, the .department to inerease its curcuits without tbe construction of additional lines. The telephone conversations, as well as tbe sending of Morse te.egrapb messages eould be conducted simultaneously over the wire. "This is made possible by using different frequencies," fie e>xplained. "But you cannot send music over the wires. If it is sent it is something like Oriental music to listen to. Actually tbe system' is in reality wire wireless, and it is possible to speak from end to end of New Zealand with very satisfactory results." Among the recent facilities offered tbe public by this branch were the "person-to-person" calls and appointment calls, in wbich tbe toll operator arranged the appointment with. the par ticular distant party required. In|er-lsiand communication Mr Clark mentioned tbat a new telephone cable was to be laid across Cook Strait and tbat this would provide 24 telephone chanliels and 18 duplex telegraph channels over one iasulatod line. "It lias' 6een discovered in Cook Strait that tbere is a sheer drop of balf a mile or more, and in consequence the cable used to be cut, for at times the sea rusbed througb this dip at about 10 knots an hour," he said. "Special arrangements have been made by means of depth-sounding apparatus ior the laying down of the new cable, and to avoid tbis danger the cable will in future be between eight and nine miles longer than tbe present one." s Mr Clark said that the great popularity of the telephone had created a general impression that tbe telegraph side of tbe Post Office business was a declining factor, but. this was not the case. New Zealanders led tbe wtirld as telegram" users. "Tbe collection of employment .tax, issue of radio licences, registratioli of radio-receiving sets and motor veliicles bas thrown on tbe department an immense amount of work," he said. "In ■ some respects, bowever, tbis centralisation of Government business at the Post Office has proved advantageous to tbe community. For example, if a person desires to pay incorne-tax, land-tax, employment tax, register bis poultry run, x-enew the radio lieence and tbe motor-ear licence, he may transact all tbis business under one roof — then what be bas left be can deposit in tbe Post Office Savings Bank, still under tbe one roof." .