RURAL MAILS.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1921, Page 2

RURAL MAILS.

A NEW SYSTEM. TO COMMENCE NEXT YEAR. A statement has been issued by the Postmaster-General (the Hon. J. G. Coates) regarding the new system of rural mail deliveries which will come into operation on January 1, 1922, when mail contracts generally will be re-let for the ensuing three years. The new scheme provides -for a- system of delivery to private boxes erected on the roadside on approved routes. The cost of providing the boxes will fall on the settlers, who will also be required to pay the sum of £2 per annum if the delivery is of greater frequency than thrice weekly, or £1 per annum if the delivery does not exceed thrice weekly. Mail matter will not be delivered at any box until the fee for that box has been paid. Settlers will be required as soon as possible to instal a standard type of box. Box-hold-ers will be required to pay the fees mentioned in the case of existing deliveries, irrespective of whether or not an amount is now contributed by the settlers towards the ‘ cost of deliveries.

In a few cases, the Minister stated, the revenue already exceeded the cost of the service, and he had no doubt that some of the settlers would be disposed to disapprove of a scheme that would cost them £2 a year each in the future. But it would have to .be admitted that the charges were very small; and that the benefit to the whole body of settlers in the outlying districts would be very great indeed. The following conditions had been laid down as a basis for the new solieme. which had drawn up after careful examination of rural mail schemes in other countries: (.1) All deliveries (o be circular, if possible, in order to avoM duplication of travel; (2) 50 per cent, of the eligible residents in each delivery area to join the scheme; (3j no delivery to persons living in a township or within half a mile of the post office in any township; (4) a separate box to be provided by each family; (5) no delivery to be established unless the families to be served equal four per mile for a ten-mile run or six' per mile for a shorter distance; (fi) frequency to be at least equal to present mail service where possible; (7) all boxes used to be of standard type. Rural deliveries that cannot comply with these conditions will be established only by special arrangements between the department and the settlers, but they will be brought into the new scheme at the earliest possible moment. The department reserves the right to fix the frequency of any service, and will do so on the basis of (a) the cost of the service, (b) the estimated revenue received, (c) the number of people affected. Twenty settlers on a route paying £1 per annum each for their service are likely to bring in more revenue to the department than twelve settlers paying £2 per annum each, since the charge per box is but nominal, while the twenty settlers are likely to provide far more business than the twelve settlers. The department will insist on the provision of proper boxes. Deliveries will not be made after December 31 to any but approved boxes. The Minister added that at present very few of the rural mail deliveries were anything like self-supporting. The new scheme will not make the rural mail service self-supporting, but it will reduce the loss. Ten typical rural deliveries, quoted by the Minister, are run at present at a. total annual loss of £7BO. Two of them under the new scheme will become profitable, and the other eight will continue to lose money, but the net annual loss for the ten will be reduced by £ f>4.