ULIMAROA HOLD-UP DISORGANISES MAILS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 332, 18 April 1928, Page 1

ULIMAROA HOLD-UP DISORGANISES MAILS

P.O. OFFICIALS WORRIED % CARGO STEAMERS USED Since the beginning of the shipping trouble in Australia the officials or the post office have had their worries increased by arranging for the dis patch of mails. Until the Ulimaroa ceased running Auckland could be sure of a cargo of overseas mail once every week for three weeks of every month. Now the mails arrive only once a fortnight, and sometimes not even then. The only two steamers on which the postal authorities can depend are the Marama and the Maunganui, which call alternately at Wellington and Auckland. ’ Those in charge of the mails in both Australia and New Zealand get their cargoes away whenever possible on colliers and tramp steamers. For instance, the Kaponga arrived from Australia last evening carrying a considerable quantity of mail. Outgoing mails are sent on sugar boats, and cargo boats to any port in Australia. Most of them go to Newcastle anl the mails are then ,sent overland to Sydney. The supervisor of mails has a busy time finding out when these cargo boats leave and whether they will ar rive at their destinations before a mail boat which may leave some days later. An instance of the delay in mails caused by the hold-up of the Ulimaroa is shown by the fact that the Australian and overseas mails which arrived at Wellington yesterday by the Manukau should have arrived last Tuesday.

This disorganisation* also moans that mails arrive at any hour and on unexpected days, thereby throwing out of joint the work of the post office.

Next week will be a partieularl busy one. On the Niagara on Monday there will be 2,600 bags of English and American mail, the largest shipment to arrive in Auckland since Christmas. On the day following there will also be a large mail from England, Europe and Australia by the Sydney boat.