NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15141, 4 November 1912, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

A MODEL POST OFFICE. Three years ago the French postal authorities opened a post office on the site of the famous "Maison Doree" at the corner of the Rue Laffitte and the Boulevards. This post office ie the most luxurious in France, having, cost the administration £12.000 to instal, whilst the rental amounts to £3000

a year. It is evidently the most active sub-pos'i office in Paris, its transactions

amounting to £5,000,000 per year. The installation was thought to satisfy all the requirements for the transaction of this large turnover, but unfortunately th« automatic machinery, of the most up-to-date type, has not given the desired result. An "automatique permanent," intended to carry letters deposited in the exterior

boxes from the ground to the first floor, only Worked onceon the day of the inauguration—and eventually was suppressed

on account of its causing t»o much noise. The special lift destined to send down the sacks of letters to the ground floor has

never been utilised, as it was discovered to make the place vibrate, and in the result all such automatic machinery has been

suppressed and the work done by hand. Five hundred and ninety sacks are daily despatched from this post office, which the employees get rid of by kicking them

downstairs to the motor van v outside. These, sacks represent an average of from. 700,000 to 800,000 letters, postcards, telegrams, and "pneumatiques" daily, which number does hot include 2500 registered letters" and parcels. The employees are

now cmoplaining that the manual service does not suffice for this exorbitant.

demand, but owing to the lack of space the number, of hands cannot.be augmented. The Post Office administration is now complaining of the too great success of the

''model" post office, and would bo glad to see its always-increasing clientile somewhat diminished.

DEFENCE IN THE PACIFIC.

A recent statement by the Hon. James Allen about the neglected state' of the Pacific in the naval scheme of the Empire and the unsatisfactory connection of New Zealand with the China- unit was cabled to England, and has given the Times a •text for a strong leading • article • calling for more frequent conferences on. the whole question of defence. The Times also approves the suggestion which has been made in New Zealand that each Oversea Dominion, should always be .represented on the ; Committee of Defence by a member of its' Ministry. The Times admits that the position regarding Australia and New Zealand is unsatisfactory, inasmuch as they had been led to believe: in 1909 thai -four fleet units: would be created in 'the Pacific'by Australia*, Canada, and the British Admiralty (through which New" Zealand gave her assistance) "which would be so trained together as to constitute a formidable Pacific fleet." In some respects there has been " a complete abandonment of the ideas of 1909," and, adds the Times, we do not know even now whether Canada proposes to revive the Vancouver unit, which was part of the 1909 scheme." The Times, however, defends' the Admiralty on the ground that history has moved so fait that no Government or Admiralty" could deal with the continuous changes by means of periodical conferences. It adds : " The present steady and considered development' in Australian waters is probably all that the moment requires; but it obviously cannot suffice alone for the future security of Imperial interests in the Pacific." !