DESPATCH OF PRIVATE PARCELS

Southland Times, Issue 24499, 29 July 1941, Page 6

DESPATCH OF PRIVATE PARCELS

BURDEN PLACED ON POSTAL AUTHORITIES The difficulty be’ng experienced ’by the postal authorities in locating soldiers to whom private parcels had been despatched was described by Mr W. Grieve, chairman of the Invercargill Metropolitan Patriotic Committee, at a meeting of the committee last night. “Many people naturally like to send private parcels to theii’ own boys overseas because of their sentimental value,” he said. “However, the despatch of private parcels is presenting the Post Office with a tremendous task. Not only has the Post Office to deliver the parcels to the countries where the men are stationed, but it has to see that the parcels reach the men, who are often transferred at short notice.” Mr Grieve said that he had met (he Postmaster-General (the Hon. P. C. Webb) that afternoon and he mentioned that newspapers were also proving a difficult problem. During the last war a restriction had been placed on the despatch of newspapers and it was possible that a similar step might have to be taken during the present war. The position might be met by newspapers being sent away in bulk and a number made available to each unit.