USE OF MAIL SERVICES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22419, 4 June 1938, Page 8

USE OF MAIL SERVICES

♦ INSTRUCTION ARRANGED FOR BUSINESSMEN MOVE TO OVERCOME LACK OF KNOWLEDGE Considering that business firms were not making the best use of mail services, both local and overseas, and particularly air services, through lack of knowledge of the dispatches available, the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce has arranged for the superintendent of mails at Christchurch, Mr H J Cole, to address two meetings. The first, for executives, will be held on Tuesday morning, June 14, and the second, for mailing clerks and office juniors, on Thursday morning, June 16 * Mr J. Roy Smith, secretary of the chamber, said yesterday that this was a new move. It had been felt that businessmen were not getting the best service possible from the mails because of lack of knowledge of the dispatches. He mentioned as an instance that when a firm missed the dispatch by a trans-Pacific vessel to New York it would still ensure that its mail arrived as soon by sending it by a vessel going through Panama, from where it could be sent by air to New York. The same applied to letters for South Africa, which could be sent in the first place to Alexandria. Local dispatches were also not fully understood in many cases, and the best service was consequently not being obtained. Mr Smith added that it was recognised that the introduction of the new system recently announced by the Prime Minister, whereby all mail would be carried by air and charged for at the rate of lid an ounce would mean a very big change for the business community. In the meantime, however, the chamber intends to see /that businessmen learn as much as possible about the existing mail system. The chamber had originally intended to give the office boys first instruction in the matter, as they were usually responsible for posting the mail, but, as Mr Smith remarked with a smile, it was thought that possession of this information might lead to their finding themselves in a position of too great authority in deciding how soon typists had to complete the mail,