RURAL MAIL BOXES

Southland Times, Issue 24681, 28 February 1942, Page 7

RURAL MAIL BOXES

Sir,—l see that about 200 Invercargill residents will now have to call, at the Chief Post Office for mail. Delivery to their houses has been stopped because they did not erect gate letterboxes or move existing boxes to the street line. This attitude should have been adopted long ago. It imposes no hardship to erect a box, and undoubtedly the box must be a very great convenience, saving time and facilitating delivery. Yet the Post Office has had to compel a section of residents to meet their obligations by stopping delivery to their houses. This brings to mind an incident concerning the rural mail carriers. Some years ago a circular letter from the Post and Telegraph Department was sent to mail contractors pointing out that the department’s regulations are strictly subject to traffic regulations and local by-laws and that in no case does the department require rural mail carriers to drive their vehicles over to the wrong side of the road in orddr to deliver in rural boxes. The circular said that any driver who drove his vehicle contrary to the traffic regulations did so at his own risk, but that if a list of boxholders whose boxes were on the wrong side of the road was furnished, they would be requested to remove their boxes to the correct side of the road. The circular added: “It must be understood, however, that this department cannot insist upon the removal of the boxes.” This seems rather inconsistent. The department says it cannot insist on the removal of the box even to comply with the traffic regulations. Why? N. R.

Gore, February 23, 1942. [This letter was referred to the Chief Postmaster (Mr J. Lindsay), who said that the statement about rural mail boxes was correct, as the Post Office had no jurisdiction over the position of such boxes and rural carriers had to serve them whatever their positions. Local bodies co-operated, however, and did not raise any objections to rural boxes being erected close to the line of travel, provided reasonable steps were taken to eliminate the risk of collision or other danger. New boxholders were advised to erect their boxes on the left-hand side of the route.]