THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, March 9, 1910 POSTAL REFORMS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 240, 9 March 1910, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, March 9, 1910 POSTAL REFORMS.

Since the Secretary of the Post Office returned from his tour of Europe and America, a number of reforms have been instituted in the working of the Post Office which will tend to facilitate business arid promote an earlier dealing with mail matter. On March Ist the new way of recording parcels sent,by parcels post came into operation. This relieves the postal officials of & good deal of detail and throws the work on the public. Since October Ist, we read, the Department has abandoned the date-stamping of letters on the back of the envelope, and it is said that the innovation has given every satisfaction. Unfortunately, the new practice is limited to the large centres, for some unexplained reason, and any visitor to the Te Kuiti poet office may see the clerks busily stamping the incoming mail each afternoon on arrival of the express, before placing the letters in the private boxes, or sending them out for delivery. Upon what methods of reasoning this practice is continued only the Department itself knows. The average business man wants his letters delivered as quickly as possible. The delay to mark them with the dat v e and ;fcime is of no value to him. Tl}e Ppstmagter-.General might very usefully expend jthp n,cw practice to a]J country post offices, as well as the large central offices. Meanwhile it is satisfactory to hear that the Post-master-General has several further reforjjog in yievv, which \yill particularly

interest dwellers in country districts. He promises an extension of telephone facilities wherever there is any reasonable possibility of the service paying; he expects to shortly announce a reduction in parcel post rates, and an increase in the weights of parcels carried in rural districts; and promises better rural deliveries of mails by carriers on horseback or bicycle; home savings banks in the form of steel boxes; and "every farmer his own postmaster," by means of a box mounted on a long arm at his own gate, or on a tree or other handy object, which, when empty lies along the arm, and when containing mail matter is turned upright, and is cleared by the passing mail carrier without dismounting. The PostmasterGeneral is optimistic as to the development of Waikato and speaks of the people there being able to speak by telephone within a large radius, whereas ten years ago long distance telephoning was almost unknown. That progress is being reflected in Waitomo County also, and just as facilities are offered and improved will the revenue from postal and telegraphic work respond and increase. The growth in Te Kuiti alone has been marvellous, and every township tells a similar tale.