The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 784, 16 October 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1878.

Suveral we-ka have passed away since the attention of the Po-t Office authorities was c died to certain blemishes in the postal arrangements of the Oamaru Post Office. The local papers have given editorials ; the public have written letters (which have been published), and the Chamber of Commerce has exerted itself, in order to obliterate those blemishes ; but the energies—the reasonable representations—of the combined forces of Oamaru have been of no avail. Not a whisper has been elicited from the petitioned in reply, much less a sign of amendment. Who is answerable for such a barren result ? Have we asked for too much 1 We will recapitulate, as curtly as possible, the representations that have been made on the subject, and leave the public y* s. even obstructive Government officials—to judge as to the fairness of our request. We ask that the hours for closing mails shall be altered ao as to give as much time as possible to correspondents to send their replies ; that the Dnnediii night mails shall be sorted and placed in the private boxes as soon as possible on the night on which they arrive ; that the ■door closing the entrance to the private box lobby shall be left open on Sundays to allow" of access to the private boxes. With regard to the first point, the postal I authorities are acting as though they had a particular objection to the progress which has visi'ed this Colony during the past 25 years. In towns in the Old Country no larger than Oamaru, mails are kept open till within a quarter of an hour of the departure of the trains at ordinary rates, and for five minutes later at an extra charge. Certain people say that Oamaru is too young to expect such a privilege. We do not think that we can c mvince them to the contrary, because their esse is hopeless. It would be almost a miracle where wetosm-ceed in converting such from their errors; but, if they are not capable of viewing things in a common-sense manner, they might adopt the next best course and allow people possessed of common sense to judge for them. Some of the Government officials are fit subjects for commiseration. A little brief ;av hority causes them to lose their heads, and they think it necessary to refuse to listen to reason in order that it may be felt that they are possessed of power. They are gratified with the position they take up, and thosj whom such cavalier and imperious conduct effects would view their playing at autocrats as a good joke were the result not so serious. These men are actually the servants of the public. Were it not for the public their occupation would be gone, and they would be cmipi Ued to resort to some imiru suitable calling as a means of living. Those that are now paid handsomely for obstructing business and acting as brakes on the advancement of the Colony would then be necessitated to contribute something substantial towards that advancement. If wecannotnow obtain theprivilege of being able to post letters up to as late » moment before the departure of trains as that obtaining in the Old Country because it is impossible here to sort the letters in so short a time, what will be the excuse when the population becomes larger and letters increase. Are we always to be behind other pbicea in this matter 1. If so. we shall be always behind in commercial status. The second point is that letters should be sorted and placed in the privnte boxes immediately on the arrival of mads With regard to this matter, we are convinced that the concession has not been made because the department did not relish being told what is its duty. If it is not so, to what extraordinary process of reasoning do we owe the determined opposition of the department to public opinion ? A box-holder expects some advantage in return for the amount he pays to the Government for his box. He naturally expects that when letters arrive at the Poet Office for him they will be sorted with the great< st possible celerity and placed within his reach. Is there I any advantage in holding a box if yon can ! only tret your letters placed in it during j the day >. It wou'd be better to save one's moiioy and ask for letters, A:c., over I the o.muter. This would necessitate the engagement of another alei'k ; but box- ' holders will not allow that consideration to influence them if the pres-nt humbugging system be continued. Business men i want their letters at night for business reasons ; it is not the province of those who have proved themselves quite incapable of understanding the simplest rules of business to question the utility of such a want. What were boxes instituted for 1 Perhaps to save the departmenttrouble and expense, and to bring in revenue. Those who pay for boxes, however, hold quite a different view of the matter ; and if they are compelled to wait for their correspondence until those who really are in no hurry for their letters get theirs delivered by the postman —or they cannot send replies to their letters until the evening of the day following their arrival—they will regardless of the inconvenience that, will accrue to the postal department, think only of themselves, and render the private box-s by their abandonment of them worthless except for firewood. We verily believe that this will be the next step that will be adopted by those who have asked for reasonable concessions in a respectful manner, but whose requests have been treated with contempt. The third point is the keeping open of the door of the lobby containing the private boxes on Sunday. It has been urged by somebody that the larrikins would do damage if this were done. They would not try the fun a second time, and they might be prevented from trying it at all by the exercise of a little additional vigilance by the police. But of course there would be no advantage in keeping the lobby open unless Saturday's late mails were sorted and placed in the boxes. At present they are allowed to remain until Monday morning. We are not blaming Mr. Bicknell for the imperfections of the Oamaru Post Office > nor do

we blame his staff, which we think is] about as good as cotild be found in any Post Office in the Colony. Of course Mr. Bicknell is as anxious as anybody that the department of which he is the head in Oamaru, should be worked as efficiently as possible ; and we believe that he would be delighted to carry out the wishes of the publ c when tlie'.r r.-qu- sts are so reasonable. Bu>. he has no power to do anything of ti;e kind. He can only make favorable representations to heailquarters, und that he will do this, and otherwise assist by every means in his power, there cannot be the least doubt. The fault lies at head-quarters with those who are paid to know and do bitter. Admitting that it is in cessary to increase the stiff in order to the Oanwrn branch of the Postal Department as useful as it should be, the increase in the income would more than compensate for the increase in expense. The pubbc of Oamaru are resolved not to allow the matter to rest where v is. If the sorting of letters is to be almost confined to the daytime, we would not wonder if box-holders en masse returned the keys of their pigeon-holes, rendered useless, except for the glory of paying the subscription for them, by the atubborness of the Postal Department.