POSTAL NEWSPAPERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2048, 28 August 1868, Page 3

POSTAL NEWSPAPERS.

Complaints are often made, that newspapers posted in England^ arid directed to persons in this country, fail to reach their dcs ination. The Press News t in an article headed "Inside the Post Office," gives some clue to this failure, and, moreover, gives some good advice on. the subject, which /we recommend to the attention 6£ out friends :—" The newspapers .were packed away into strong leathe? bags of about 4 feet long and 2 feet 6;iriches wide, and when filled, were shaken down to make each bag hold about 550 papers. - ~W3rile these mountains of newspapers were being thus sorted and packed, the attention of the visitor was drawn to an immense quantity of newspapers all burst open, and without wrappers, which were cast away in a sort of cellar below. These, upon inquiry, appeared to be newspapers which, had been carelessly- enveloped, and upon mingling with tha vast heaps inside the Post Office the flimsy/bjands. by which they were encircled'were very soon rent asunder.' Here let the occasional sender of newspapers learn a lesson from what he reads.; The very best way to. send a single copy of a newspaper is tc> write name \ and address of the receiver on. the margin, i and then double up your paper and bind it firmly,with a piece of string. This teats all the envelopes in the world, for1 two potent reasons ; first, it is more secure; secondly, while the name is written on it, no one will attempt to | pilfer it. : Without preferring a charge •against anyone, it is a growing complaint in the newspaper trade, that papers, especially, for distant parts, frequently miscarry. From the first posting to the last delivery, a newspaper must of necessity pass through many hands, and if the possession of it is desired by some unprincipled custodian, he has only to whip off a loose, flimsy band, destroy it, and. the paper is at once his own, beyond the possibility of proof to the contrary. Not so with a newspaper rwhich has the address written on it;, the discovery of this upon a Post-office official would be a punishable crime, and very few would care about incurring the penalty for the prize."