MEN AT THE FRONT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16508, 7 October 1915, Page 5

MEN AT THE FRONT

QUESTIONS IN 'PARLIAMENT. MINISTERIAL REPLY. (P|B Umitxd Pbbss Association) 1 WELLINGTON, October 6. " In reply, to Mr Malcolm, the Postmaster- 1 ' general said to-day All parcels for'our rorees' in Egypt _ are sent -to the General „ Post Office, Wellington," for despatch. lam not prepared to require, that they be papked in airtight "tins, but I have had submitted to me an extract from the Board of Trade Journal of August,. 5, in which certain pre \ cautions in. the packing of parcels are recommended, as, for instance, that small parcels should be sent in preference to largd ones, and 1 that it would be prudent tomakq any large matter into two or three small packages, even whero it might bedeeired tojje'ep it in one piece, and w forth. " How far the Board of' Trade recommendations •' need be adopted td govern de patche front New Zealand .is a matter for cansidett&anw in the absence of "any request from that Director of the Army J ostal Service but I am considering . the recommendat ons and if I find in them anything of manifest vantage to New Zeals nd senders of pat eels 1 am prepared to g ve in tractions to use It." ' In, reply to Mr Veitah. the Postmaster- 0 general said:—" I am aware that many® cases were reported in which letters pur- -': cols, and cablegrams sent to, members the Expeditionary-Force had .not been d©- v livcred, but these reports aro hot so numefr- ' ous now, and letters announcing the arrivai j of packets have been received the previous letters of/complaint. I am -■ satisfied that , the best 'is being done to dis- r pose of letters and paroels and to assure tho speediest delivery. of cable messages, and j tliat matters have much improved in respect < of all three. The honourable nkmber is aware that Lieutenant-colonel " Rhodes," - M.P., is • despatched , on a special mission, which }vill includo inquiries into tkfeae mat- , • teis, and until he m&kes.a report I do feel justified in calling- on'the. Army Post' Office for further-reports.' It has sufficiently explained here and elsewhere" that the business of: prompt delivery to the forces spread over a ' line several hundred miles long is one of extreme culty. I am not prepared to make any.--<j representations for special treatment of N®W., ' Zealand in the matters 1 of, refunds of th«f cost of cables. As has already been Jjub-/ lished, the censorship regulations forbid- ' ding the refund of the oost of undelivered cables have been relaxed so that ;if the unexpended balance is,hot less than four ahillings a reimbursement may be made on any undelivered telegram originated after June 15. The conditions of reimbureeraent,, were published in the press at the begin- X ning of Very, special 'dmtwj already- made to give all the, possible about "wounded soldiers :to their next-of-kin in New Zealand. There is war inquiry bureau at every post oflioe of importance in the dominion, and an officer l of the General Post Office is occupied on v behalf of the Defence _ Department making the free -inquiries provided by the Imperial i> . regulations, and every inquiry that is per- "i matted by those regulations is made witn as" „ little delay as possible: in fact, a good deal V more information, is obtained and giveri to next-of-kin than is, provided- for in the regolations. Further, the Government is more, generous in the way of answering inqniriea * than its strict attention to 1 the .regulations would warrant. If an/inquirer who is nofi/ 4 the next-of-kin establishes his claim, lor inn, stance, as a relative, _ to information, tha t " information is given if possible. /