Mail delays

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33582, 10 July 1974, Page 12

Mail delays

Sir,—l have in my possession a parcel posted from Wellington on June 21 with the franking date on it. At 10 a.m. on June 27 it arrived at the North Avon Post Office. The postmaster will certify this is correct as 1 drew his attention to it. Could the Chief Postmaster explain why it takes six days to receive a parcel from Wellington? I have complained about the time mail takes from England (parcels go through the Customs here) and it has always been blamed on shipping, etc. If it takes six days from Wellington to Christchurch for straight postage how much longer could one add on for Customs procedure? Would eight days be the minimum? Therefore overseas mail, must be two weeks in New' Zealand before the recipient receives it. Does the Wellington Post Office sorting room work on glide time or slide time?—Yours, etc., KIWI KEITH. June 27, 1974.

[The Chief Postmaster (Mr M. T. Reedy) replies: “Without the wrapping of the parcel concerned it is not possible for the Post Office to explain how the delay occurred. It could be that although the parcel was franked on June 21, it was not posted until some days later. In the normal course, a pared posted in Wellington should be delivered in Christchurch the following day. However, on June 21 there was a carry-over of parcels and these were not cleared until Saturday, June 22, but the parcel should have been delivered on Monday, June 24.] '