POST OFFICE HAMPERS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 151, 30 June 1928, Page 11

POST OFFICE HAMPERS

CHRISTCHURCH COMPLAINT REPLY BY MINISTER The Postmaster-General (the Honi \V. Nosworthy) stated to-day, in couneetion with the paragraph published in the "Evening Post" of 27th Juno regarding tho action of the Post Office in manufacturing its own hampers instead of giving the work to Christchurch basketmaking firms, that it is not a fact that lip till two years ago all hampers used in tho Post Office were manufactured in Christchureh. Tho Department .has maintained a staff of skilled basketmakers for over 20 years, and during that.period, in addition to carrying out all repairs necessary to hampers and baskets, it has manufactured tho greater proportion of the hampers and I baskets used. . At times, owing to abnormal growth in parcel-post business, the Department's basketmaking staff has boen unable to manufacture hampers in sufficient numbers to meet requirements. On such occasions, contracts have been let for the supply of a limited number of hampers.. Seven of the ten men employed by j the Department on basketmaking work I are returned soldiers suffering from war injuries—one being totally blind. Of tho remaining three, two are experts of long service who have trained the returned soldiers, and one is a learner. The system of manufacturing and repairing hampers in Departmental workshops has been found to be. a most satisfactory and economical one and to involve a minimum of expenditure in transport and other charges. Most of the work is repairing damaged hampers, and the cost of transport is a big consideration. ■ ' '• • So far as quality of hampers made in the Departmental workshops is concerned, tho finished article is ,deemed to bo superior. to that supplied by private firms.' It will be sufficient to remark that hampers made in the Departmental workshops do not cost as much as £5 each, and that the figure quoted in the newspaper article as tho contract price does not includo the cost of locks, •which are suppleid by the Department. In view of the need for economy in its expenditure, the Department is hardly likely to do any work which could be done cheaper outside the Service. * During recent years the Department has found that for certain classes of business,, boxes, besides being cheaper than -hampers, are more suitable . for transport purposes, and in consequence a number of boxes have been brought into use. .. ■