Rural Mail Deliveries.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 1099, 19 October 1926, Page 3

Rural Mail Deliveries.

J The Post and Telegraph. Depart- > nient is at all times prepared to 7 favourably consider the extension of its rural' mail scheme to include the less sparsely populated .ireas. There are now 15,000 .ural box holders m the Dominion. It is the Department's i aim to doublo this number. The Department is not seeking to make i profits from rural settlers, m fact, m a majority of instances, the Depart- ; ment is providing rural services at a considerable loss. Postal profits are derived fiom the cities and larger towns, and a portion of these profits can regularly be used m making good deficiencies m maintaining rural «le liveries. In tho more closely settled rural areas, the Department has provided postal facilities equal at least to those of the smaller towns, and this policy* will lie continued. }n other uriMs tiie aim is lo give settlers, if possible, a thrice-weekly sur vice. Each application ."hi ust, of course, be judged on its met its. Tt if pointed out, however, that settlers m sparsely populated districts who prefer a daily delivery may obtain such a (service on payment of a contribution m addition to the rural -fee. It is claimed that such a policy is not unreasonable as the comparatively small population m New Zealand does not warrant a daily service where settlement is very scattered. The amount each settler is required to contribute is small m comparison with the additional benefits derived. Contributions aie not sought except m cases m which the disparity between the revenue and the oost of maintaining, the service is considerable. Instances have come under notice where there has been a lack of unanimity amongst settlers — ono section favouring the retention of the country post office, and the other favouring the establishment of a rural delivery.' It is not reasonable to expect the Department to maintain two postal systems m one district If the Department Agrees to the establishment of a rural delivery m a district aL'tady served bj means of small post offices the settlers should not hesitate to comply with the De partmenv's suggestion that the post offices be olosed. Iv this .matter the co operation of settlers is required. The olosing of a pist office dees not by any means involve the closing of a te'egraph. offioe,. as tbe retention of the lat t_r, ah hough often con J vet ed m the same building, is not dependent on tbe establishment or closing. of a post office. The Department is anxious to give a servioe to every settler m the country, Few ' settlers oan afford to abstain from joining a rural delivery. The time wasted m journeying to the nearest post office to post and collect mail matter more than accounts for tbe £1 or 10s per annum claimed by tbe post offioe. The fee is but a nominal payment for tha servioe provided, and one which it is felt even a strugg ing farmer can afford. The Department solicits the undivided support of all settlers. It is a significant fact that onoe a setter joins the rural delivery he becomes a firm Bupporter of the scheme, and m no instance has the Department received a request to revert to the former method of providing postal facilities. It is repeated that the Department is prepared to assist tl^e rurt. 1 settler who i§ asked to reojpropate only to the extent of joining the delivery, for which, it is contended, he reoeived a servioe many times the value of the rural fee.