NEW RURAL MAILS SCHEME.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 May 1922, Page 6

NEW RURAL MAILS SCHEME.

REGULATIONS ISSUED. I Regulations relating to rural mails are published in the Gazette last week. They I relate to the new scheme announced . some months ago by the PostmasterGeneral. They include the following: No person who resides within the postman's delivery limits- of a town where such a delivery’ is in operation, or who resides within half a mile of any post-office, shall be eligible to purchase and erect a rural mail-box. UinlessSLlie* ftfrcumstances are exceptional, no rural delivery shall be established unless there is an average of four I families to be served for each mile covered, and in the case of a route less than ten miles in length the average number of families to the mile must be not less than six. No rural mail-box can be held in the joint names of a number of persons, unless it is known that the applicants are |in business partnership. Private persons are not permitted to join in renting a rural mail-box. Subject to the above restrictions, any person to whom exception is not taken by the PostmasterGeneral, and who is willing to pay the appointed fee, may have a rural mailbox. Not more than one family shall use the same box, but guests and em- I ployees of any such family shall be entitled to have their correspondence i placed therein without any additional • fee. No rural mail-route shall be extended to include any person whose residence is within one mile of a rural mail-route, and no rural mail-delivery shall be established except where the route is maintained in good condition, is unobstructed by gates (unless they are made to open automatically), and is open for traffic throughout the year. Except ii. special circumstances, no rural mail-route shall be arranged over which the carrier shall be required to retrace, or travel over, the same road twice in the same day. The fee payable to enable any person to participate in a rural delivery shall •be £1 per annum for a service having a frequency greater than thrice weekly, and 10s per annum for a service having a frequency of thrice weekly.