A BELATED TELEGRAM

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 407, 6 September 1918, Page 2

A BELATED TELEGRAM

(To the Editor.) Sir,—This is a little note of dissatisfaction in regard to postal officials or in this ease the Pukekohe telegraph department'? On Friday last, the ;50th August, a telegram was handed in at Papakura at 10 20 a m to tell me that ray father had died the previous evening Thursday. It was;):?!) pm. in the afternoon before the telegram reached Belmont (Pukekohe) the address a mile an 1 a half from the post office. Needless to say I had learned of my father's death from another source and only had the wire handed to me on my return from Papakura at G 15 pm. On making inquiries at Papakura the information I gathered was that the wire had boon returned to Papakura for sixpence for delivery to be collected. Now, does not this seem an absurd way of doing business, especially in the case of a death, when we all want to know at tho earliest possible time as delayed messages cats) a lot of inconvenience and worry? If the telegraph officials are so tied down at Pukekohe, then why are th«y not in o'.her places. At Papakura the previous week I received several wires from Hamilton and payed sixpence for delivery on each one aLd they were only business messages. If the wire had been delivered when received at Pukek >he the sixpence would have been promptly pail —I am, etc , WILLIAM TO* N*END. Eureka, sth Sept. 1318.

[We understand that the rule of the Postal Djparrment is that in the case of a telegram having to be delivered beyond the free area of dolivery the plane of origin of the telegram has to be communicated with in order that the fee for delivery may be obtained —EDITOR