PICKING UP THE MAILS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 256, 22 July 1908, Page 8

PICKING UP THE MAILS.

NEW SYSTEM FOR TRUNK SERVICE. ■ When the northern Main Trunk line is opened, and travellers can enjoy- the sensation of being whirled from invercargill to Auckland-.in'forty-eight hourSj it will be necessary to reduce tho number of stopping- ' places of the through trains. So much was i admitted by tho Minister for Railways in ' bis.annual departmental report. Tho trains i trill not, however, flash past these former ! stopping-places without picking up and set- 1 fcing--down the mails. How will these opera- < tions be accomplished? . i The General Manager for Railways (Mr.'T 1 llonayne) explains that the ingenious Queens- I land system will probably be adopted for 1 picking ■ up- the mails. A - projecting ap- * laratus of mail "catchers" will be attached i ;o the sides of vans; the mail bags will be i lung on . special stands beside the line, and. 'roni these stands the "catchers" will pick ;hem up, in much the samo way as the tablet s nicked up by the engine. Trains will < lot need to stop, and no time will, be wasted, * is there aro railway stations ou both sides .1 jf the lines, "catchcrs" will bo necessary 011 t loth sides of the vans. >' ,1 It is not so easy to device a perfectly satis- 1 acliory way of depositing mails without stop- ' ling. The. Queensland system, in this re- t i;inl,, is not ingenious, but' very simple. The d nails are simply .thrown out from the train, i: f this plan is adopted in Now. Zealand, it b fill mean that all parcels and breakables a rill have to go by 0110 of tho slower trains, rhich can alford time to stop. . Carriages on the through service will bo nadc specially comfortable, so as to reduce a s far as possible for passengers tho wear d nd tear of day and night travelling. . t'