OVERSEAS PARCEL POST

Grey River Argus, 10 December 1938, Page 15

OVERSEAS PARCEL POST

History of 50 Years WELLINGTON,:: December 8. The jubilee occurs this month of the inauguration of the overseas parcels post between New Zealand and Great Britain. Before December, 1888, strange as it may seem to the present generation so used to manifold postal facilities for sending parcels to all parts of the world, there was no overseas parcels post, and packages had to be carried .by steamers as cargo, and to be paid for at cargo rates. New Zealand’s. overseas parcels post was Inaugurated about Christmas time in. 1888. Hence the jubilee of the event occurs about now. No stamps, however, are being issued to celebrate the occasion. Before the welcome innovation of an overseas parcels post could be inaugurated, a special act of Parliament had to be passed to authorise it. The exchange of parcel mails between this country and overseas began under authority of the Post Office (Foreign Parcels) Act, 1888, which gave the Postmaster-General power to enter into agreements with other postal authorities for the conveyance of foreign parcels under and subject to the terms of the act. Regulations were made prescribing the rates of postage, the dimensions of parcels, and the mode of packing, and making provision for other miscellaneous matters. Some of that legislation is in force to-day. ■;* * Before the act was actually passed, negotiations were put in train for the early exchange of parcels, the desire being to afford to residents of the United Kingdom an opportunity ot forwarding parcels in. time to reach the colony by Christmas of 1888. The first parcel mail was dispatched from London on 16, 1888, and delivered in the colony on December 30. One thousand ;• parcels were received by this mail, states a departmental report of 'lBB9. Apparently being content to deal in round figures, the report adds that these 1,000 parcels were “a number far in excess of the most sanguine estimate.” Itjfiad originally-been determined that only one parcel mail by each steamer should be dispatched by the London Post Office, but as the number of parcels was'far larger than contemplated it was decided that separate mails should be made up for each of the four-main centres. The first parcel mail from New Zealand for London left on the s.s. Rimutaka on December 27, 1888. The rate of postage was Is 6d for a parcel not exceeding 21b, and 9d lor each additional pound or fraction up to a maximum of 111 b Within two years the parcels post system was extended via London to many other countries. Any doubts as to the value of this facility were soon dispelled by the increasing volume of traffic handled. In 1889 1452 parcels were forwarded from New Zealand to overseas- countries, and 13,335 were received. In 1900, 10,916 parcels were dispatched overseas, and 34,236 were received.' To-day the parcils post is used for the importation of a large variety ot goods. Parcfels, post business has always shown a'large balance of imports over exports. . Last year’s dis- ' patches totalled .45,600. Parcels received were 197436.