LETTERS INWARD

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 133, 9 June 1927, Page 13

LETTERS INWARD

mWYY YEARS' REVIEW

RWNY WAYS OF OLD DAYS

HUGE PRESENT MAILS

The growth of the Dominion, both in population and in importance, is clearly reflected in the increase in volume .of mail matter received from places overseas. Thirty odd years ago, 1 a" total of 150 bags for New Zealand received in an English and American mail was consid-: ered:to be a very good mail indeed. TenyeaTs later, a/total of 500 bags was looked upon as a very fair mail;' 'Nowadays, it is not uncom^ mOs to'receive" in an English and American" mail a total of upwards of 3000 bags.; ■■- CHANGED CONDITIONS. Conditions have changed since it was the custom in Wellington to land in ppen; boats mails from. ships, lying in the harbour; 'The Post Office used to' jbwn one boatj.'arid others were hired as Required from local boatmen. The boats Xvith the. mails, on board ; were usually sailed ashore. ' ' The San Francisco steamers, which have always brought jfco the Dominion heavier maflsthan Vancouver steamers, fased to arrive at Auckland. Mails for the South -were,sent to Wellington via Onehunga and' New" Plymouth, and Were ponveyed from. Ohehunga to New Plymouth; J>y the formerly well-known fetcamera Wanak'a and Penguin and later by- the' Mahinapua and Takapuna. Not infrequently, the receipt of the maila.at Wellington would be delayed; throughithe steamers, becoming stuck in the mud - of. Manukau Harbour. When, the San Francisco mail arrived at Auckland,, jt.was the practice ,to hoist on the •General.Post Office tower in Wellington a blue"Jag bearing the letters "S.F.A." .Wheq. the.mail.reached Wellington, it was the custom to fly a blue flag with a chequered, design. ... In those days trains ran to Te Aro Station,,and sometimes the trains would Btop in the Post Office Square in OTder to land,t]ie mails... A single one-horse ferpreasjfnis sufficient to carry the Wellingtbn inail'tp the Post Office. Nowaday^ tM_ arrival .of a. San Francisco mail at Wellington, necessitates the employment of sis lorries and somo twelve messengers to remove the mail from .the steamer. Moreover, each lorry requires to, do several trips. Mails for tolacesMother,'than Wellington' are not taken to the Wellington Post Office, put are, sorted at the ship's side; those for the North going direct to the railway station, and those for "tho South going direct to the ferry steamer. WIRELESS CONVENIENCES. i In these modern times with wire-! £es3 telegraphy at such a high standard pi perfection, it ■'is amusing to reflect in the old arrangements which had to be made in the Post Office to deal with incoming overseas mails. The practice jtvas to bring staffs on-duty at 5 a.m. on the 1 day on which the. steamer was expected to-arrive.- Sometimes steamers late, and it was necessary ; to bring ptaffs,,-cn .-morning after : morning. A Striking instance of this- occurred when phe Warrimoo, carrying an inward mail, |was expected to reach Wellington early ton a certain morning. The mail-room etaff -was brought on duty at 5 a.m., put there being no sign of the steamer jras sent away, again.. On the following marning- -the ;-- staff was . again brought on, and was again sent away. Phis went on for four or five days, jmtil one morning, .as tho staff was febout to be sent away, again,- a telephone message from the Harbour Board ftffice intimated that the WaTrimoo was ftien eomjng.np, the.harbour. The da-. Jay in arrival'had been due 'to engine" (trouble. With : .tbe> aid of wireless, the Post Office'noiyknpys almost to the minjite th^e time that an overseas steamer ■will make port. It knows, moreover, Jiow many, bags the vessel ia. carrying for Wellington, how many for ; other jylaces, and how much of the mail mat- 1 ter has c .been sorted by the mail agent ready: for delivery or fbr transhipment. . The deciding of. the size of the staff Necessary to deal with the mail and of the time, that the staff. Bhould be brought „on-duty is therefore an easy jMttef...":., ■; ..'■■•.■■■.. ■•"; ■■ ABEESTINa FiaUEES. 9b%' growth in the volume of mail taatteiyboth inland correspondence and that ;from overseas; delivered in the Dominion, :is-shown in the following figures:—ln 1874 the numbor of letters delivered was just over 4,000,000; pi 1884- the number increased to nearly 80,000,000; in 1894 it increased to keariy 89,000,000; ia 1904-tt exceeded 88,000,000$ in 4914 it ewe'eded 134,----©00,0003 *nd jn 1956 it eseeeded 247 r