POST OFFICE SERVICE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21707, 14 February 1936, Page 20

POST OFFICE SERVICE

TO THE EDITOK OF THE PBESB. Sir,—With your permission I would reply to the Chief Postmaster's comments upon the complaints made by others and myself with regard to the post office. (1) With regard to providing railings for queues, he says: "During busy periods officials direct customers (sic) to the proper counter and invite them to form queues.", I have never seen such an official and it is absurd to employ anyone for a purpose that a railing would effect. ■.,... (?) "A quadruplicate form is used for one class of business and a,tripli«ate for only two." Quite enough evidently to slow up the work to. a maddening, extent. * « «3) Delay in sorting newspapers. I said that on- February 4 the papers had; not been sorted. by 2.20 p.m. The Chief Postmaster says that the last load that day arrived at 12.20 p.m. We wili let that go. He says that on fuary 5. the mail was completely sorted by 11.30 a.m. I repeat that the papers were not in the boxes at I.S p.m. Mr Furby speaks in good faith upon information given him. Somebody is not speaking the truth. He can look to it. "Mail sorting is continuous." As Mr Furby is,mb doubt, not present at the sorting- of mails, and my, view is screened by the boxes, this also must go,' I speak, however, upon the experience of many vears of box hunting. As regards mails not being sorted by the usuar time on holidays. Mr Furby says, "The department meets reasonable requirements." In my opinion, it does not unless he is referring to the requirements of his staff. (4) Use of a hooter to notify that the mails have been sorted. Mr Furby deprecates- noise as the trend is to reduce it. No doubt he also deprecates it in the newspapers. I would say, however, that the street noises that worry are those made by trams and motor-cycles. The hooters that we hear at mid-day are not objectionable, but quite useful. The present annoyance is to the unfortunates who have to walk io and from the post office, perhaps several times, to see whether the mails have been sorted.' (5) "One, reason why the department is admittedly progressive is because it does adopt useful suggestions from persons inside.and outside the service." The'effrontery of this statement is colossal and I .leave it to the judgment of others. I must, however, give the department credit for adopting two suggestions made by the public, one that the flat rate on telegrams should be restored and the other that the notifications of the movements of vessels on the coast should be continued. There, indeed, the departmental brains had been at work.—Yours, etc., > . ' - UNDER DOG. February 8,1039; ["My" comment was based largely on official records, which I shall be pleased

to show Tinder Dog* oalls at myofflce?’ said th 6, ChieSPostmaster (Mr F. W, Furby) to whom this letter was rfeterredLl' - - :

TO Tin BDITOB .Of l|l HIM. gj r j ytsh to endorse the remarks of your correspondent, ‘TJnder Dog. I have had the same trouble'. I have waited several minutes at the counter only to notice that a “lady" who came subsequently and .pushed her- papers forward got precedence. Being only.? “mere man,” I could not. resent such politeness! Surely some arrangement could be made to stop such annoyance A business man’s tune is more valuable than a woman’s. The whole trouble appears to be “red tape’ and a resentment of officials to mod the requirements of the public. • To .pu» matters entirely on a better and more satisfactory footing, I would suggest the appointment of a publicity officer, as in other great organisations, one who would 'continually meet and be in contact with the public, whose requirements and suggestions could actually be studied and investigated, and not shelved as they are at present. It is not the experience of the public, as the Chief Postmaster states, that outside suggestions are adopted; but if it is so, it’is only after tremendous delay and the position has been forced upon the department, and there is ho honour attaching to that. How frequently do we notice complaints in the newspapers about the inadequate size of letter-boxes, of boxes being jammed and wedged with correspondence, some of which can be extracted through the apertures? And if complaint is made lo head office, what are we told? That the matter is under consideration, etc., which is usually the end of it! We are even told that letter boxes are for posting of letters, and that newspapers and larger packets should be posted elsewhere! Where in the wide world is tnere a city of the size of Christchurch that has tuppenny-ha’penny wooden letter boxes 1« Inches square attached to telegraph poles for the reception of mails. Even in remote villages of England one will find iron pillar boxes or boxes with iron fronts! Other inadequate arrangements are the need for better spacing pf letter boxes and telephone boxes, and the establishment of sub-post offices in main thoroughfares—some side streets having two and many main streets none! Personally, I would post many more newspapers and illustrated papers than I do—l have a.dozen or so,ready now —but I am not walking a mile or two to the head office to do it. Letters bearing Id postage are of more importance than papers (or second-class mail matter) bearing postage anything up to 6d, but from a revenue point of view are surely worth consideration. However, the department can lose the revenue! as their own officers admit they do, in this and many other ways —Yours, etc., UNDER DOG NO. 2. February 9. 1936. [Commenting on this letter the Chief Postmaster (Mr„ F. W. Furby) said: “The suggestion lb appoint publicity officers was adopted some years ago, when officers were appointed' for this purpose in Christchurch and elsewhere. Some suggestions can be adopted without difficulty, but in other instances' enquiries have to be made by the department before an arrangement can. be introduced which may affect a Dominiojd-wide system. While it is not possible to; please everybody, an honest endeavour is made to give service to the public, and to increase revenue.”]