AFTER NINETEEN YEARS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19780, 29 October 1927, Page 5 (Supplement)

AFTER NINETEEN YEARS.

DELIVERY OF POSTCARD. FRENCH OFFICIALS PRAISED. A striking illustration of the unfailing carefulness and accuracy of the French post office has been noted. A citizen a \. kas lately received a postcard which, according to the date of the cancelling stamp, was mailed to him in 1908, nineteen years ago. Such an incident in ® ' ess serene and philosophic country than France might arouse critical and sarcastic remarks at the expense of a government which had been so remiss in his duty. A correspandent says" Here, however, the universal tone of public comment is highly commendatory. This is, first, because after all the card was safely and accurately delivered. Think how many dangers of destruction and total loss it suffered in ail those years! Yet it survived them all and reached its destination in just as good condition as when it started on its amazing Odyssey. " Then, in the second place, there is room for praise of the Government because of the rarity of such lapses from promptness. Among the hundreds of millions of letters and cards which ana handled every day, only once in nineteen years is one thus mislaid—or not much oftener than that. Aud even then it is generally the fault of the sender, for his incorrect or illegible writing of the address. How many individuals themselves forget to mail their own letters after they have written them, or the letters which their wives entrust to them to mail! By the side of such private records of carelessness the Government oaecord is almost flawless*"