POSTAL FACILITIES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4860, 3 August 1925, Page 3

POSTAL FACILITIES.

SOME LITTLE KNOWN SERVICES'. When presenting the annual report of hi.s 'department to Parliament recently the Hon. Sir C. J. Parr, Post-master-General, commented on the little use made of many of the facilities’offered the public by the Post and Telegraph Department. He referred" particularly to hte safe deposit system—one of the little known activities of the postal service, whereby sealed packets containing securities, insurance policies, deeds, wills, or other paper or parchment documents are accepted for custody at all moneyorder offices in charges of permanent officers. “The service, for which only a nominal charge is made, is exactly suited to the host of people whose do ’not justify the employment of other means to safeguard their valuable papers against loss by fire or burglary" (says the report), “Notwithstanding the facilities provided by the department, there is ample evidence that people still resort to all sorts of unsuitable methods of protecting their valuables. It is by no means uncommon to have submitted the charred remains of documents which have been stored in tins or cash-boxes, or, again, pulped paper, the remains of documents that have been buried in a back garden for safety.” ' To the writer’s knowledge this is the first intimation to the general public that the department offers this service. Certainly it is advertised in the “Postal Guide,” a very interesting volume which may be obtained after a little trouble from any post office for the small sum of sixpence, but the writer has never seen the service advertised on any of the many posters exhibited for people to read while waiting for 'telephone communications, etc. The department has from time co time offered useful services wnich , have been withdrawn owing to lack of use. Some two years ago it was possible to send money- by moneyorder and have the cash delivered by the postman with the letter containing the advice note, but recent inquiry elucidated the information that this service had ceased. Doubtlessly t is was because advantage was, npt taken of the service, as inquiries from postal officials showed that few of them had ever been asked for a domestic money-order.

Perusal of the Postal Guide discloses many other useful activities of the department. It may not be generally known that a person, in New Zealand may order goods from the United Kingdom and have them despatched to New Zealand by parce post and pay for them at the post office on delivery.

Money-orders may be sent by post or telegraph to every country in the world, and British and Australian postal notes may be obtained in New Zealand, as well British and Australian postage stamps for small amounts. The post office will also issue coupons exchangable in any foreign country for postage stamps. Naturally the supply of these coupons is restricted, as- an American swindler proved during the war how they could be utilised to amass a fortune by defeating the operations of the foreign exchange rates. In connection with money-orders, it may be information to many that it is possible in certain cases to get an advice of the receipt of money just as it is possible in some cases to get an advice of the receipt of a letter. The payment of money-orders may be stopped by the remitter.. The operations of the post office savings bank are fairly well known, as also are 'the advantages of tne ! home savings banks and the system whereby children can save pence by = purchasing stamps and affixing them to a card and later having the amount credited in their savings bank pass-book. Accounts in the New Zealand Post Office Saving Bank may be transferred to the savings banks in the United Kingdom or Australia, br vice versa, and a copy of the bank's record of a depositor’s, account can be obtained on application. In addition to accepting money for the purchase of different classes oi Government bonds the post office issues investment certificates bearing compound interest at 5 per cent.- for very small sums for five and ten years.. Letters, parcels, etc., in addition to being registered, may be insured for a small fee. They may be sent by express post and delivered immediately on arrival by a telegraph messenger or letter-carrier, and the sender may obtain a receipt of delivery. The services of a telegraph messneger to do some small errand or job may, in most cases, be,had by telephoning the post office. INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC. The Telegraph Department will undertake to deliver a telegram any distance from ,a telegraph office on payment of a fee either by the sender or the addressee. It will permit telegrams to be telephoned to or from an office, and will reopen an office to send or receive a telegram. Telegrams may be posted in posting boxes Or street pillar-boxes for transmission as soon as possible after the box is cleared. A cash deposit may be made gt an office to cover the cost of telegrams that may be sent, and a receipt may be obtained for money paid tor the transmission or delivery of a telegram, or its reply. Telegrams with the same text but different addresses ,are accepted at reduced rates, as also are night letter telegrams, for which the charge is 9d for 27 words. If there is any likelihood bf a mistake occurring in transmission the payment bf a small fee will ensure the message being repeated back over each section of wire; while should the receiver of any. telegram dbubt the .accuracy of any part, this will be checked for a small fee, and should ‘ a n error be . found the fee will be re-

funded. A certificated copy of any telegram may be obtained from the department within a reasonable time. The sender may cancel a telegram before delivery, and iii c,ases where u telegram cannot be delivered the sender is advised. - Farmers or mariners may have a weather forecast telegraphed to them from the Government meteorologist at any time, or may have the regular forecast delivered or telephoned to them daily from meet offices. Few people re,alise the cheapness of the’ stationery sold by the post office. For the cost of the postage alone embossed post-cards, either single or reply, and letter-cards, will be supplied, while nowhere else is it possible to buy such good quality envelopes for 2d a dozen. Stout envelopes for registered letters can be obtained for a little over the cost of postage and registration, and stamped newspaper wrappers as available at a cheap rate., , Business firms may have their own; envelopes embossed by the department, and to prevent the purloining of stamps by their employees firms may obtain postage stamps perforated with initials. Butsiness firms may also obtain machines that will im-. print a postage stamp of any denomination on an envelope or wrapper' and record the amount so that the department can collect the money at' regular intervals. Business firms may also pay the postage on big batches of letters, etc., at the post office without it being necessary to affix.stamps, or they may purchase penny and halfpenny postage s-tanipts in coils instead of sheets. The facilities offered by the telephone exchange arc fairly well known and utilised, though possibly some subscribers may not know that bn all-night connection may be had on request. These are some of the services rendered or offered the public by the Post and Telegraph Department, as disclosed by a glance through the Post Office Guide. Doubtless there are others, but until the department adopts the business principle of making what it has to offer known to the general public it has only itself to blame if the services are not utilised. The general public cannot be expected to wade through the Postal Guide, and officers of the department are paid nothing extra for pushing business.