Little reaction to box-fee rise

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 2

Little reaction to box-fee rise

A 100 per cent increase in Post Office box charges has drawn little reaction from box-holders in Christchurch. The assistant district manager, postal services, Mr Pat Burke, said although the increased charges came into effect in February, few people had protested. “We have certainly had no wholesale closing of boxes,” he said. Annual accounts for the boxes were still being posted out. Mr Burke said he expected some reaction in the next few weeks as people had to pay the rental. So far most accounts sent out were to businesses.

“They seem to have accepted it as just another cost,” said Mr Burke. The charges had been increased to help offset a projected $5O million loss for the postal section of

the Post Office this year, and reflected the large amount of floor space the boxes occupied in Post Offices, he said. A seven-day-a-week postal service for small boxes had increased from $5O a year to $125. Large boxes had increased from $lOO a year to $250. A six-day-a-week service for a small box had increased from $45 to $9O. A large box had increased from $9O to $lBO a year. A five-day-a-week service had increased from $35 to $7O for a small box and from $7O to $l4O for a large box.

Small boxes without a postman’s service had increased from $l5 to $3O, and large boxes had increased from $3O to $6O a year.

The increases were not connected to the division of the Post Office into three corporations, said Mr Burke.