COMEDIES OF THE POST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18629, 9 February 1924, Page 2 (Supplement)

COMEDIES OF THE POST.

QUEER DELIVERY -PLACES. BOX UNDEE DO&BSTEP. ' " CHINATOWN pfezLES. Little comedies and adventures in the life of a postern" are described in The Post Annual," which is produced by the British Union of Post Offi.ce Workers. It tells of some " queer places of delivery"— ranging from a letter-box 5 under the doorstep of a house to the vessels lying in mid-Thames to which the river postman rows every morning. There is one house in Chinatown, says the writer, the front of which opens on to the backyard of another bouse in front of it, and it is necessary to go through two of the rooms of the first house to get access. So far as can be learned, the arrangement seems to have worked smoothly; but how the postmen would deliver were the two householders to fall out one can only speculate. >, Another curiosity of this character which is to be found in Chinatown is provided by two small cottages, absolutely hidden. * The only way to get at these is through a passage which runs under a double-fronted house standing in front of them. • • There are many letter boxes in strange places in* London. One occasionally can notice them tucked away in the corner of

a window instead of being in the dooi'. One, at least, is to be found under the doorstep of a house.not the place where a new postman would be likely to look. There was recently, also, not many miles from London, a shed on a small holding in which dived the man who was working it. He had his letters delivered through a small ventilator in the wall of the shed. There was no need for the postman to knock. The man's head was immediately below the aperture, and the letters dropped on his face and woke him. In Soho, the postman, when he has a letter for t>j top jloor of one particular tenement building, makes his way through to the back yard, and gives a shout for the addressee, when a box is let down on a string from the top window and tbje letter is thus delivered and hauled up. r J Aboard a P. and O. Liner. . Here is a picture of the task of a postman who has to go on board a P. and 0. liner to deliver letters. and collect surcharges:—He finds the Lascar, boatswain, and,- with his aid, ' discovers the various addresses among the crowd. Then commences the job of conveying to them, by the aid of fingers and a plentiful , use of the few words each party to the transaction knows of the other's language, the amount of surcharge due. The postman meanwhile keeps a tight Spld on the letter over which he is egotiating. Once he relinquishes it there is a good chance of his being unable to find" it again among the dark-skinned people, who look all alike to him. Having managed .to convey the amount of surcharge payable, he wait 3 until the addressee has rummaged among his possessionse for his money. When this is paid the postman scrutinises it carefully, as the seamen will have collected all kinds of coins in their travels.

The river postman is Mr. H. L. Evans, who in the Alice Maud rows ont to vessels in mid-river every morning to de-

liver letters. His delivery extends from London Bridge to Duke Shore, Limehouse. He takes in the space of river between the Custom House and London Bridge, and then proceeds: down stream, crossing and re-crossing the river as he comes upon the vessels for which he has correspondence.

It ie a picturesque occupation, and looks attractive during the summer weather. Heavy rains, fogs and frosts, however, play a big part in the river postman's lite.

He cannot shelter himself from the rain as can his shoregoing colleagues; log means groping about the river, sometimes only to discover that a wrong direction has been taken when the wrong shore is encountered, and with the necessity for avoiding tugs which may bear down out of the darkness at any moment.

Mr. Evans is a licensed waterman. The "duty has, from soon after its institution, always been performed by members of his family, and he represents the fifth generation to take it up.