PARCELS POST.

Waipa Post, Volume XX, Issue 1243, 16 May 1922, Page 6

PARCELS POST.

DEPARTMENT WANTS AN EXTRA SIXPENCE. DELIVERY CAN BE SPEEDED UP. Alt last month's meeting of the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce, Messrs Edwards and Salt were asked to interview the Wellington Chief Postmaster (Mr Grocott) in regard to complaints made as to the delay in transit of parcels sent through the parcels post. At. Wednesday's meeting Mr Edwards said'that the delays would be looked upon as excessive in any up-i'to-date country, but they had ascertained that they were not in any way due to the negligence of officials, but were caused by the lack of facilities for efficient transit through the reductions in the train Services and retrenchment in postal matters. Instead of parcels being forwarded by the first available mail, they are frequently delayed for despatch by goods train, and that meant, for instance, that a parcel sent to or despatched from Auckland to Wellington was four days on the journey. This not only applied to the large parcels, but to the very smaHest. Mr Grocott stated that he was doing the very best he could with the facilities at his disposal, and he had prepared a chart for use by business men, which would assist greatly in overcoming many difficulties in their way, and which he would gladly | supply to anyone asking for it. This gave the times of the closing of parcel mails and also when they should arrive at their destination, and when they should be delivered. For an additional fee of '6d parcels were given rapid transit, and another fee of 6d ensured express delivery. Mr Salt said that the delays had been more pronounced in the last six months, and he gave an instance of a parcel posted in Christchurch on the afternoon of Thursday which reached Wellington on Saturday morning and was not available until Monday. It is seemed to him that the Department was 1 desirous of mulcting the senders in the extra sixpences so that the revvenue should benefit, 'for it did not cost the Post Office any more to send them forward promptly than to delay them' a couple of days late.