Coalgate Mail Service

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29239, 24 June 1960, Page 3

Coalgate Mail Service

Sir, —Until recently. Coalgate had a very good nail service which used to arrive by Midland bus, twice or three days a week and once on the remaining two.; Now, alas, we get only one daily at 10 a.m. which means that any mail posted from outside after midnight does not arrive here for two days—a distance of 36 miles. If we have to send for anything urgently, it means a trip to Darfield—eight miles—to catch the morning mail as ours does not go until after 2 p.m.—Yours, etc., , TAXPAYER. June 14, 1960.

[The Chief Postmaster (Mr R. Elcock) states that because of the withdrawal of the stationmasterpostmaster from Coalgate, the Post Office has had to restrict the mails to once daily on a Monday-Friday basis. It was only because of the extended hours of attendance of the railways staff that the extra mails were handled previously. During three days in the week—Mondays. Wednesdays and Fridays— Coalgate residents receive by the 10 a.m. mail all postal matter sorted at Christchurch up to 7 a.m. the same day. The amount of postal business handled at Coalgate is such that the employment of a full-time postmistress is not warranted, and in any case the department has not yet been able to recruit even a parttime postmistress.]