AFTER THE STRIKE

Evening Star, Issue 15394, 19 January 1914, Page 3

AFTER THE STRIKE

HOW THE POSTAL DEPARTMENT

f ACED Tlflv POSITIO>

The Hon. B- H. Rhodes, PostmasterGeneral, in the course of an interview at Christchurch yesterday, outlined the measures that had been taken by the department dming the recent- strike. "The industrial crisis had the effect of disorganising the department's services in all directions," he- said. "Not only were the effects felt locally, but they were extended to the mail steamers which were scheduled to sail for America, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The effects were particularly felt at Wellington. The Moana, for San Francisco, was detained for five davs. and communication with Sydnev was sustained from Wellington direct onlv, the steamer services from the Bluff and" Auckland being suspended. Coastal I traffic was reduced to comparatively few boats. As far as the Weilington-Lyttelton ferry service was concerned, the slower steamers, Pateena. and the Mapourika, and the small Queen of the South had to be subsidised. Owing to these substitutions for the Maori, and, for some part of the time, the Wahine, the mails arriving at Wellington and at Lyttelton missed the expresses—not only the first express at Lyttelton, but on' many occasions the second. Th© Auckland district also suffered to a great extent, although every effort was made by engaging small steamers to provide for keeping up mail communication with places north of Auckland. The Nelson connection had to be maintained by subsidising the Nikau. This small steamer made three trips a week between Wellington and Nelson via Picton. The Gisbome service was suspended for some time. During the first part of the strike Messrs Richardson Bros.' steamers from Napier were kept running, but after a week or io the men came out, and there was no service either from Napier or from. Auckland down the East Coast except by the small steamer Tanga.rr.a, which once a. week managed to make a trip from Gisbome to Napkr. For a considerable time there was no steamer communication with the West Coast of the Scuth Island, and consequently the very heavy mails usual'y forwarded to Wellington for despatch by steamer had to be diverted to Christchurch and transmitted by coach and train to their destination. The contractor for the conveyance of the mails between the railheads rose to the occasion, and., in spite of the material increases of mail matter, and particularly of parcels, he carried through the service in a very satisfactory manner, and, when necessary, provided special conveyances to meet the difficulty. Even with this provision, on many occasions portion of the hamper mail had to be left over for carriage the following day. In many other directions also special coaches and conveyances had to be engaged in order to keep the mail services running as closely as possible to time-table. The parcel post was affected to a very considerable extent, as many articles were forwarded through the post" which the public had not hitherto thought of sending otherwise than by steamer. At the request of a local body in Dunedin it was determined, during the > period in question, to extend at same r.iuthe weitrht limit of parcels from 111b to 211b for parcels to places served by rail and steamer. The concession was vc-ry readily availed of, and is still in foice. For the four -weeks ended December 27 tinnumber of extra weight parcels posted at Christchurch amounted to 860, at Dunedin to 732, and at Wellington to 1.908. The additional cost to the department caused by these special airangements," said the Minister, "is not yet available, but it will amount to a considerable sum."