POSTAL IMPROVEMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 171, 19 January 1914, Page 2

POSTAL IMPROVEMENTS.

[ STATKMKXT BY MINISTER. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Cbristchnrcli, Saturday. The Hon. 11. Ilea ton Rhodes, lVstiiias-Itor-<!eneral, announced yesterday several concessions connected with his l)e----j partment. ."Prior to the Ist inst.," said the Minister, "the charge to private box holders at a place, where a lettercarrier's delivery was established was £1 a year. A reduction has now been made, which enables any person who resides beyond the letter-carrier's delivery to hold a box on payment of 10s a year. The' charge to persons residing within the limits remains the same. Arrangements have also been made whereby rural mail contractors may obtain money orders and postal notes on behalf of any settlers residing on the route of delivery. Rural mail contractors, while i engaged in service on a rural route, may also carry for sale a stock of postage stamps, sufficient to meet the demands of purchasers. .Further arrangements have now been made whereby newspapers published in numbers, at intervals of not more than seven days, may be registered at the fleneral Post Oilico, London, for transmission within the. British Islands at the newspaper i rale of %<I per copy. The rcgistm- ] tion fee is us a year, and registration" must be renewed from year' to year. Registration may be refused unless arrangements have been made to the satisfaction of the Imperial PostmasterOeneral for maintaining a responsible representative v£ the publication in the United Kingdom. Finally, said the Minister, it has been arranged that vessels arriving from, or departing for. the Chatham Islands, are to be reported by j wireless telegraph in the same manner as vessels arriving at or departing' from Xew Zealand ports. These changes," he added, "are little improvements which will materially improve the service rendered to the public bv the Department." I