HUMAN PARCEL POST.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12494, 22 March 1909, Page 3

HUMAN PARCEL POST.

A BENEFICIAL INSTITUTION. At Home -now postmasters may arrange for the. conduct of a person to an address by an express messenger. A. lady, sends her experience of. the human parcel post to tlie London "Daily . Mail." She says : — "Recently I was despatched as an 'article' under the exceptional express servicei from Baker-street Post Office and delivered at Carmelite. House, all within three-quarters of an hour. It was five minutes past one when we entered the post office in Baker street. '"I believe it is possible to arrange for a person to be sent to an address under the care of an oxpress messenger.' remarked my companion, tentatively, to the young lady behind the counter. '"Yes; threepence a mile. What address, please }"' was the girl's reply, in business-like tones, as she opened her express letter-book" and prepared ;to_write the .address. '"Carmelite Houses— that will be ninepence, please. . The lady pays her own fare.' No labo.T.'ng is necessary. The .messenger, has the address,' said the girl in reply to further questions, and I aiid my voucher were placed under the. care of one of the waiting messenger boys. From first to last there had not bfeen a smile on the girl's face. ' _'"Turn to the right, please,' directed the mesisenger politely as we left the post office and began Our journey towards Oxford "House. At eacli crossing he waited for a lull in the traffic, .'.and then conducted his 'parcel .safely. across. ..:''.-. . ".^Suppose I want to shop and look in the shop .windows;— what would you do then?' .observed the 'parcel.' '"First ten minutes 'free, 2d each succeeding ten minutes,' was 'the brisk^replyj "At the end of Orchard street we halted. *A Vanguard No; 6 will take us almost to Caymelite House,' volunteered the youth. The omnibus soon appeared. [Will you please take a2d ticket?' directed the messenger when the conductor came round. He paid for his own ticket. '"This is our stop,' remarked the messenger as we reached Chancery Lane. The boy kept a watchful eye on the traffic, and at the crucial moment piloted his 'parcel' across I'leet street and down Whitefriars street to Carmelite House, and just before ten minutes to two received a receipt m full for his charge." --. One gentleman, whose little son, aged seven, was at school in the midlands, instructed the school authorities to send the boy up to London in charge of a Post Office messenger: This was done; the boy duly arrived and was signed for as an "express parcel." . ■ Another instance was that of an American lady. She wanted to .go shopping in the West End, and, being unfamiliar with London, wanted someone to act as guide and stay outside the shops and look after her children while she was making purchases. A boy was placed at her disposal. 'He performed his task of "nursemaid'? so well that it drew' forth an enthusiastic appreciation of our British postal service. ' " .