LETTER-SORTERS' TRIALS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2472, 27 May 1915, Page 9

LETTER-SORTERS' TRIALS

WHERE THE PUBLIC FAILS Every adult in tho Dominion uses the Tost Office, but tho sreat majority have the liaziest ideas regarding the methods by which millions of articles annually are sorted, transmitted, and delivored. It is probable most people think the business oi sorting letters is very easy. Tho average mail most likely imagines "any fool can sort letters." This is a mistake. A satisfactory sorter must have a good memory, and requires months of training. Any sorter who has not a good memory is a constant source of vexation to himself and others. The mails which reach Wellington in a never-ending stream contain matter addressed not only to the city and suburbs, but to many places in the Wellington Province. When received tho letters and other articles are first subjected to the process known as primary sorting; that is, they aro separated into 17 divisions: those for delivers by lotter-carrier; those for delivory over counter; 5 country divisions; and 10 divisions of private boxes. The next step is the secondary sorting. The articles for the carriers are sorted out into 64 lots, and these again are arranged for delivery by each carrier. The articles for delivery over counter are arranged alphabetically in pigeon-holes. The country divisions are removed from tho primary to the secondary sorting cases where they are Te-sorted for dispatch in mails. The articles for private box holders having first been separated into 10 divisions are then sorted directly into the boxes. Only experienced men can be entrusted with primary sorting because before they can undertake that duty they must have memorised tho post offices throughout the Dominion as well as those persons who receive thoir cor-' respondenco through private boxes. There are about 2600 _ post offices in New Zealand. Now mails aro not made up in Wellington for each of these 2600 offices. Only about 230 mails are made up here. It is evident therefore that a competent sorter must remember in which of these 230 mails correspondence for all the other 2370 places has to be forwarded. Hie private box sorting imposes even a more severe tax on the memory. There are in Wellington over 900 private box holders, and correspondence for over 3500 different persons, firms, etc., has to be delivered through their boxes. Not one letter in a hundred carries the number of the private box. Tho sorters, therefore, are expected to memorise 3500 names and to remember in which of 900 boxes correspondence for each has to be placed. The task is of course impossible. Letters for private box holders are in the process of primary sorting missorted to carriers and suffer delay, Others aro placed in the wrong boxes and this gives riso to numerous complaints. Unfortunately the strain on the memories of the men leads to mistakes in other and less excusable directions. In struggling to_ retain particulars of private box sorting the memorising of post offices which is a legitimate duty is often imperfect, and this leads to the mis-sending of letters by sorters. Tho delivery of mail mattor through private boxes is a serious problem for the Post Office. If those obtaining t'lieir letters in this way would arrange for the number of the box to be added to the address there would be no difficulty, but private box holders cheerfully continue to have their letters addressed, "Lambton Quay," "Willis Street," eto.. and expect sorters to do the rest. When mistakes are made or delays occur many of the box holders are not slow to express themselves as to the "gross carelessness" and "stupidity" of the sorters. In all countries'it has always been a moot question whether private boxes were jiot a hindrance instead of a help to the Post Office. It would certainly, from the Post Office point of view, be far more satisfactory if all mail matter had to be delivered by carrier, even if this meant an increase of the staff of letter-carriers. The diffioulty, as has been pointed out, would disapi»ar if private box holders would arrange to have the number of tho box added to tho address of all articles. In Johannesburg, South Africa, there aro over 7500 box holders, but thero no letter is placed in ft private box unless it bears the number of tho box. Sooner or later the same rule will have to apply at all tho principal Post Offices in New Zealand, for as it is sorters are being asked to do far more_ than is reasonable. The foregoing remarks only apply to the sorting of local mail matter. In the foreign branches, mails are made up for many different countries. For countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, and others, mail matter has to be subdivided. Thousands of names have to be memorised and tho ' foreign mail sorters have their own trials.