Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6289, 13 January 1882, Page 4

A great deal of feeling lias been created i: t: respect to the delay ia the delivery of th: g mails, which the Zealandia brought the otk- V : day. We have interviewed Mr. Bisr, Ctia !; Postmaster, on the subject, for the purpos '.. of ascertaining what can be said on the prt j.-i of the Post-otHee authorities. As will be §'. seen by the following statement of fauts then j? are others more to blame than the officers :".' of the Postal Department for the delay, cot- .: ably the Harbour Board and the local'JJoarJ ■': of Health. It appears that months ago the difficulties whijh have arisen were foreseen Uy Mr. Bits, and so far as he coalJ, and r . the department under which he is ensjiloyed, < steps were taken to try to put th'iis ;' on a better footing. * The teccisry : expenditure would be forthcoming at a day's •; notice so soon .is the two local bodies asinaJ '' give their consent to have one of the so* [; : gested improvements cairied out. Wlea |j small-pox made its appearance in Sydney, fi; and that place was declared an infected port, jji Mr. Biss saw that delay in the deliver; ijj of the mails would necessarily take plw $ owing to their having to be fumigawi -V before delivery. The accommodation for £ this n-cessary precaution is of the scantiest | possible character. The small fumigates B oven erected at 'Motuihi is only about teior | twelve feet squar-;, and was elected for the purpose of the clothes, fc, ci M passengersorimmigrantswhomightbequmi- | tined, an operation which could be carried os! $ in a quiet and leisurely manner. It wasaefi - | contemplated, wnen this tiny place «B % erected, that the operation of disiufeotml > | mail of nearly 400 bags would be attempt | at it. In the. fumigating chamber then » | only space for standing room for abontlSS jji bags. To fumigate them in this posip- |j would be ouly a farce, and Dr. Philson n-7 | wisely causes all the bags to be opened, tip h contents spread out ou wire trays, and cp eJ letter or paper thus exposed to the actioi« || the sulphurous fumes. When the mails p || treated thus, the contents of onlv 10 fe' |j can be dealt with by one charginj olp 1 |i oven, and as the mail'matter i≤ required to |j be exposed fully two hours to those ftp fi and a heat of from 120 - to 130' Fahr., it M ': simple case of arithmetic to caleulatepf ij time requii-pd to thus dispose of 3(55 bsg) 4 | mails, adding thereto a reasonable tini7.y !; charge and empty the fumigating clmnM- | Another circumstance lias to be tfl te '! fj into account, and that is that Motm h ' | is distant 10 miles from Auckland.," r \ Customs steain launch takes upon an averts 1 -' f ai out two hours to traverse the ciistary. " which means a loss of four hours h&inW" | going from Auckland to Motuihi r.-i<l r £ f. again. To this island there is a badap- i proach on both sides, and long 1 iote : water the end of the small land S w3r " ; : erected there is dry, and the boats < annotip , ; proach it bj' some distance. Vhea |f •; Zealandia's mails were landed the 1 oat co« \

overbed up 9 to ashore. . E ;. en f was distant the island the fumgating n from m to 400 var , whic h it required f nS enl p., 1 a ami-cart containing ten ten men to P": . , „ oxen , nor carts mail bags. *": It^, thore . T i,i 3 , also, was - W cre to an a shows that the the arrival of a heavy m.ii . '-, ' Jointed out that the rt.ee mtnt were prepared ..t ouc 3 proper disinfecting oven >.[•"■> the I. tc.-,c „,,„.. °- "••' ;;;f r Uah,?;r b ,,,i „„., as , as , a &si£V£ 4«il 'Thus, in from four to six hours after .\w irrival of the mail, it would be in a »£-tf(Hi to be despatched to the Soath, and portion ' i , wpers be ready for Sfir ££•» Sf U Mr. Bi« ca.cnl,t™i rhit at least 00 hours were necessary Stne apP-1 nc« »t present, at hand, and tee from A«cklann > t9a, S ,nfect tfie riafla which the Zealandia ' rought. The tune however, was shortened by the passengers helpiiK' as well as the crew of the ship, i ins is a help that could not have been looked for, •iud may not be obtained on another occasion. But tliouch the circumstances were thus elear'y explained to the flarbour Board and local Hoard of Health, Mr. Biss has not yet received even an acknowledgment of the receipt of his letter. Of course until permission is given to erect a disinfectingehamherat some place more onnveuient than Mo'iulu, the Post-office authorities cannot begin the work. If the proximity of such an erec iou in the vicinity of the "city be objected to, why not have it erected upon t-iis end of Rangitoto? That would be nearer and iiore convenient than Motuihi, and the m:iils could be landed there at any state of the tide. It is to be hoped that a decision will be shortly co:ne to by tin; two bodies referred to, and t.ms put a stop to all future chances of such great inoonvenience ns ha« Wen expericni-ed. not only in Auckland, but throrghout the colony, during the present week. The Harbour Board have now an indictment to answer before the whole colony.