RURAL DELIVERIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 109, 11 May 1931, Page 8

RURAL DELIVERIES

SYSTEM OF CHANGING FARMERS’ UNION PROTEST | Per Press Association. ] HAMILTON, May 9. The charge made by the Postal Department for rural mail deliveries formed the subect of correspondence read at the meeting of the Waikato executive of the Farmers’ Union today. In reply to a protest made by the Postmaster-General, Hon. J. B. Donald, wrote stating that some years ago union, against the present charges, the mail matter for settlers on the few rural delivery routes then in operation was delivered to settlers’ gates free of cost. The advantages of the system were fully recognised by settlers then as they are now and many requests for the establishment of further services rendered necessary a complete re view of the system. The result was effici> t, though not self-supporting, network of rural mail services in existence to-day. This had been made possible only by the charging of a small delivery fee. It was now recognised by farmers that the time spent in travelling to a post office to trans ct postal business could be more profitably employed in their holdings and that the small fee paid for a rural delivery service was saved many imes over by the more profitable employment of the time sav-

in the circumstances it was regretted that the delivery of mail matter free of cost to the box-holders could not be favourably considered. The executive decided to write stating it was still emphatically of the opinion that as The postal system was a sound one, the cost of extension should be borne by one and all alike.