POSTAL FACILITIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 70, 9 August 1912, Page 7

POSTAL FACILITIES.

RURAL HAIL DELIVERY. An innovation in the collection and delivery of mail matter in the country has just been introduced by the Postal Department, and will no doubt be availed of by every .settler on a coach mail route who liven more than a quarter of a mile from a post office, for settlers living so convenient to a post office are debarred from participating in its benefits. During the coitiv-e of a visit to Tarata and Purangi last week a representative of the News noticed in front of several gateways along the route a. very neatlooking galvanised iron box, bearing on the one side the name of the owner of the property, and on the otheT the sign of the New Zealand Post Office. Inquiry elicited the fact that these were receptacles for tV e owner's mail; in fact, to all intents and' purposes they are private post offices. They are very nicely made and have a slot for the reception of the letters, whilst provision has also been made for the insertion of a padlock if desired, of which the owner will have one key and the coach driver the other. The box is perchad on a galvanised iron arm, which runs on rollers on a pivot. This pivot is fastened to a poet at a convenient height. The modus operandi is as follows:—For the sum of fifteen shillings any settler over a quarter of a mile from a post office can purchase a box, painted and completed, from the Department. It is then his own property absolutely, and all he has to do is to find a post to affix it to and buy a lock if he desires it. T.h'O delivery and collection of his mail matter is done free of cost to himself. The postmaster at the office where the mail starts from makes up in a separate bundle the letters for each box holder and 'hands them to the driver, who, on coming to the first rural box, drives alongside it, swings the box round on its pivot and draws it over to him. After placing therein the mail matter he returns the box to its position, but places it at right angles to the arm, as a sign to the owner that it contains letters. The owner, after lie has taken the. 'letters out, places the box parallel with the arm. If, however, (he puts letters in which he desires the eoachdriver to lift on the return, .journey he leaves it at right angles, and the driver stops and gathers in the letter?.

Therein, however, there is a defect, which requires remedying. Tim mailman takes anything from two to five minutes at each box, and as at present on this road some ten persons have already taken advantage of the system and some twenty others will 'Undoubtedly do so. it will be see.n that the journey will be considerably prolonged, and consequently the driver will not want to stop when there is no occasion. The signal to stop I will be the box at right angles but it •must be remembered, that the driver leaves the box at right angles on the outward trip when he puts letters in, and unless it has been cleared in the interim it will remain at right angles next morning, and he will have the delay of stopping only to find the .same letters in that he put there 'himself. Of course, .settlers | along the main road will clear the boxes every day, but the man two miles up a bye road, who .has 'his box at the comer, may he deterred from wining down by wet or other causes, and, therefore, it would perhaps be an improvement if some other means were taken to denote that the coachman was required to stop —say, one side, painted red or white to face the direction in which the coach is coming, or a llag or disc of some description. From the. point of view of the settlor, the scheme is undoubtedly a splendid one, and it only requires a telephone attachment to bring him .right in touch with civilisation, hut from the travellers' viewpoint it will undoubtedly tend to make coach travelling very tedious, especially on a very populous road, for the cheapness of the paraphernalia, combined with tte benefits accruing, will undoubtedly cause 'every one who possibly can to participate in the .scheme. It would also be of immense benefit on a rural delivery which is supplied by a letter carrier 'direct from any office; in fact, it would appear more suitable in this connection than in tho case of a coach route.