MAIL ARRANGEMENTS.

North Otago Times, 6 August 1903, Page 1

MAIL ARRANGEMENTS.

To the Editor. '' Sir,-With reference to " Roadsidors" letter of the 29th ult„ referling to the Upper Waitaki mail ser- ! vice, it is jiitiful. to read betwceiL c the lines, arid see so little of "the v milk of human kindness displayed j therein, in face of his presumed knowledge of weather conditions t here.' The varying degrees, of frost must havo frozen up what little he j ever, had, and left him destitute of , any warmth of feeling towards those 1 .whose calling might compel thorn to 1 venture out, : A " lloadsider," in ( .the true sense of the term, he .wisely i remained one, and comfortably pro- 1 tcoted between the four .walls of a i well heated house, while the ther- 1 .urometer registered 80 or 40 degrees 1 of frost outside, doubtless he .watched an' occasional traveller passing j by, and marvollcd at the delicacy of • the human frame, .with its susceptibility „to cold, and its inaptitude to ' stand against so trifling a degreo ' without bo much fuss and extra 1 clothing. True, as he says, a nuni- ' ber of men did find their way here, j But at .what risk, and with what adventures?, They .were driven as 1 far as .wheels could go, The horses • J ,were then taken out of the conveyance, and used to cross them at a point; not the usual ford, after au ■ .experience .which, I venture to say, j .would not voluntary be repeated by : any of them, They then resumed : 'their march, or rather stumble, until. , horses were sent from Kurov,' to meet them, This journey took the men two long days to accomplish, .which under favorable circumstances is easily performed in six hours. ; •" Several horsemen camo here." Quite so; but from ..where? Only from a point where the real difficulties began,: Br Stevens certainly did got through, after, & journey .which under, any, other circumstances but that of life and death jvould have been unwarrantable. More credit' to him. Ask Dr Stevens his opinion of the journey, and I think you will find ono experience of that nature amply sufficient in any ordinary man's ,li% Leaving ICurow early on Tuesday inovriing, by alternate riding and walking, lie reached' a hut onWednesday night about twelve o'clock,. situated Some .distance from the' house. of. his par tient.: Next day, Thursday, he had to abandon his horses, and perform a five hours' journey on foot through about three or four feet of snow. This.■ Whole journey can usually be done in pight hours.- Contrast the . difference,.'and say would any man bo justified in risking the lives of !' men and horses by accident or ex- - posure, where there is no just or j reasonable cause for such. Mailmen t are not machines," but human beings. - During the winter, of 1895 mails on ■ tho main line,' M'Kcnzie, were . Ac-' i tained for over five weeks, and here 1 becauso those of •" Boadsider'' .were ■ detained perhaps a day, lie sots' up a wail of discontent. : To give.an instance of : the: difficulties , which he, the mailman, experienced in the pertonnawtsoilus duties-it took bim.

together with two others, over .tifo hours to .cut his way through ono creek about ten miles from Kurow. There' was really no necessity for '■ Roadsider'- to make application to you for information-relating to the transmission of-mail's here; He could with greater dispatch and precision have obtainod tho desjred information direct from the head of tho Postal Department. His .object, however, was not to gain -information, but to indirectly abuse the mail contractor, T l am, etc., TRAVELLER;