MAIL SERVICES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 84, 8 April 1924, Page 8

MAIL SERVICES

POSTS AND TELEGRAPHS

THE TELEPHONE CHARGES,

Ocean mail services are reviewed in the annual report of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, .and it is noted with satisfaction that during the-"year the contract times 'for via Vancouver and San Francisco services have rarely been exceeded. On the other hand, the s.s. Tahiti had completed a voyage from San Francisco in three days less than contract time; and to San Francisco in four days less than contract time:

The council of the Chamber publishes in its report particulars of the new tenders now being invited for quicker transPacific mail services than were provided under contracts that expired on 24th March las^,. It is also reported that : "The service between New Zealand and Australia has been well maintained during the year." ; The Marine Post Office on mail contract steamers plying between New Zealand and the Pacific Coast of North America, which ceased to operate in 1907, was re-established in November, | 1923. The re-establishment of the Marine Post Office renders it possible in the case of outward mails to considerably extend the time up to which mail matter may be posted to connect with the mails, and in the case of inward mails, to have the mails'so sorted that ! they may be disposed of expeditiously on arrival of the steamer at the New Zealand port of call. Such exped> tious handling often results in the avoidance of delays up to twenty-four hours. .Farcel post business is referred to by the council, which records the failure of the New Zealand Post Office to secure a return to the former limit of parcels of 6ft in length and girth combined, as against the present limit of 4ft. The j shipping companies were not prepared to agree to return to the former size limits. A suggestion that parcels measuring up to 6ft in girth and length combmed_ from Great Britain via North America is under consideration. New Zealand postal charges are described as now "the cheapest in the -world;"; and, taking the- purchasing power of the sovereign into account, are cheaper than they were before 'the war. ■ ' - The Chamber, in order to help the Post Office in dispatch of mails, has urg-' ed its members (1) to post frequently and early, (2) to tie quantities of letters in bundles with addressed side of envelope facet! one way, and (3) to post at the Post Office in preference to receiving boxes. Noticeable, assistance was so given, and appreciation of our action accorded by the Postal authorities." At the time > the new telephone charges'were proposed criticism was offered that they would bring in more than was needed to meet the expenditure aiid upkeep, but the Department has held that the charges were necessary for this branch to be self-supporting, and the returns will be patched by the Chamber with interest to see whether the estimated increase in revenue from this source will be exceeded. The council remarks that, although it is somewhat early to gauge the effect of the new system of rating, it is interesting to note that 364 applications for new connections were received during the first quarter in which the new rates were in operation, as compared witli 322 received during the last quarter in which tlie old rates were in force; also that the new connections With the Wellington ' Exchange/totalled 1264 for the year ended 31st December, 1923, as compared with 944 for the previous year. On the 31st December, 1923, there were in Welling"; ton 8986 subscribers' main stations, of which 5212 were opened automatically and 3773 annually. In addition, there were 3373 extension stations, 889 of which wore associated with automatic stations-'and 2484 with manual 'stations. In the matter of telephones per 100 of population, Wellington compares very favourably with the' world's leading cities, there being 10.4 telephones per 100 of_ population in Wellington, as compared with 4.8 in London, 16.9 in New York 9.1 in Berlin, 6.0 in Paris, 15.7 in Ottawa, 6.7 in Sydney, 6.4 in Melbourne, and 3.0 in Manchester. " The Dominion as a whole, compared with other countries,;_occupies a very prominent position as regards the number of telephones per 100 of population," the report continues. " The United States leads the world with 12.7 telephones for every 100 inhabitants, Canada occupies second place with. 10.2, while Denmark and New Zealand occupy third and fourth places with 8.2 and 7.6 telephones respectively. Australia, with 4.4, and Great Britain, with 2.1 telephones per 100 of p6pulation, occupy seve'nth and twelfth positions respectively." The question of providing facilities for continuous interisland telephone communication is now under consideration. It is expected that telegraph traffic will be expedited when the mntiple apparatus at Napier, Wanganui, and New Plymouth, and elsewhere are completed.