FORTY YEARS POSTMAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14223, 20 November 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

FORTY YEARS POSTMAN.

' PARIS BALLOON LETTERS. Efficiency as a postman demands keen observation, a good memory, and a quick step. With the growth of the bay window the use of names to distinguish houses instead of numbers has become popular. The postman must observe and remember . them all, otherwise the clotted cream from Devonshire and the fresh fish from Grimsby, addressed to the "Firs" or " South View" may suffer through delay. Firtrees may be unknown in the locality, /'South View" may face the North Pole, and be sandwiched between hundreds of houses with different names, but the postman must not be confused. And the remarkable thing is that he is rarely perplexed. He smiles from one Boxing Day until the next, knowing, that there is a weakness for a name artistically printed in the righthand corner of a sheet of notepaper, and happy in the thought that his double knock is always cheering to a solvent man. Good temper and a sense of humour help to carry a mam through many years of service—particularly a postman. There has just retired at Erith Mr. D. T. Lewis, the head postman, after having been 41 years on the postal staff. Recently a press representative found him still smiling. ■ FRANCO-GERMAN WAR INCIDENT. " Not many exciting incidents, have tome mv way," he remarked, in the course of a "conversation. " Among the thousands of letters that I have delivered the most interesting, perhaps, were some brought out of Paris by balloon at the time of the Franco-German war. I was then in Greenwhich, where, in South-street, lived an old French ; gentleman. I remember the interest with which he would await my arrival, and his enthusiasm if I had a- letter from Paris. The way such letters came and the- old man's pleasure naturally aroused my curiosity, and I learnt that the communications which I delivered to him were from his son, who was then in the French capital. I often regret that I did not ask him to give me one of the covers, it would be an interesting memento now." ■;. ■■■-: . -\. ■':' '■ ' ' .'.,..

Yes, one sees many changes, not onlv in the service but outside looking .back over 41 years," continued Mr. Lewis. " there was the Education Act," and immediately the postal official showed how the postman watches the work of the schoolmaster. : ' '

"At one time," 'he added, "it was a common thing to find the recipient of a registered letter unable to sign his or her name.: That is now changed ; and the let-ter-carrier has also seen a great improvement in the writing of addresses. In my early days it was often a puzzle to understand an address. The writing was bad, and peculiar ideas with regard to spelling increased the difficulties. I . should like to remember all the strange addresses that I have seen. They would make an interesting collection. One comes to my mind; it was ' The you nighted harms.' It seemed a mystery at first; but one soon discovered the intention of the writer. He was weak in spelling and should have written, The United Arms.' 'There is little to complain of to-day in this respect compared with the puzzles with which a letter-carrier had to deal thirty or forty years ago." WHITING OF LADIES. Dwelling on the subject of education, it was interesting to learn from the retired postman that in late years there has been noticed an improvement in the writing of ladies. '

" The angular writing is difficult to read —you know the style," added Mr. Lewis, as" he described forked-lightning hieroglyphics with the aid of his finger. "Fortunately, that kind of writing is not so fashionable to-day as it was; and, with regard to addresses generally, there is not the humour, in them there used to be. It is not wanted. The Postal Department would not have the time-to appreciate it in these days. .".. , . ■;'' '

" There was a lot of merriment when, the postcard was introduced, and I am afraid the hew method of conducting correspondence openly was a temptation in the early days to see what folks were writing about. The cards were not taken seriously at first, and I can remember seeing some very quaint sentences. But gradually their delivery formed "Jin important part of the letter-carrier's work, and ceased to be a curiosity. ' '>

"I started at the Greenwich Post Offico in 1868. I next went to the Woolwich "office, which I left in order to go to v Erith, where I was head . postman for 31 years. During that time it has been interesting to watch the effect in the postal department of education and the growth of population. The result has been more letters and the appointment of more men to deliver them. Within the service there have been changes, but looking back forty years I think the conditions of work for the postman are better to-day than they were ♦hen." , '"' ; . \ '" Upon his retirement Mr. Lewis was the recipient of a present and many good wishes from the Erith postal staff. '.