The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-04-22

~ N&AA AAA
letters from one island to another. outside Of the
Post-oflice ought to be enforced, except in cases
where the POst-Ofhce does not afford the public
all tine means Of satisfactory transmission.
The next question Is the treatment Of the
mails on their arrival and departure.
RECEPTION or MAILs.
II does not seem that anything can be sug-
gested. from the practise Of foreign administra-
tons, 20 improve the actual mode Of reception
from the steamers. The mails are sent for as
soon as the vessels are within reach, and landed
with all the rapidIty compatible with the man
agement Of the boats. the crews Of which well
deserve the thanks Of the public, especially IN
cases u bad weather, late arrivals, etc. The sort
ln2 also seems 10 be conducted with intelligence
and 50 a. % employ 'he activity Of all the forces
on hand.
DIsTEIBUTIoS.
Only one thing might De suggested to alleviate
the unavoidable crOwding Of the public at the
distributing windows on mail days, when every
person who has not the privilege Of a letter box
l. eager To be served first. This would be to
follow On q very small scale, the ex ample Of all
large towns, where one distinct distributing
window Is attributed to each letter or a couple
Of letters Of the alphabet. Here, the actual dis
trbutlng window at least. If not the two front
windows might, by some outside perpendicular
ratings to separate the public, be divided into
two sections, and IA certain number of letters of
the alphabet, indicated outside on the top of the
window, to be attributed to each section, with a
special clerk in Attendance, whose duty IT would
o
the wrong window.
HoSoLULU LETTER CARRIERS.
The next thing well worth the most urgent
attention Of the Government would be the dis
Ti6HfioH Of mail matter in town by disri6UtOTs or
LeheT-euTTfeTS:
That the employment of a sufficient number
Of carriers-to ensure frequent communications,
by post, between residents of a town covering "a
large extent Of territOry-always results III Il large
profit, has amply been demonstrated by expe-
wTan.a . Em-aTIITnI WIa ~ nnr
respondence may be readily distributed, acts as
an incentive to the writing of letters which
otherwise would have remained unwritten =
The free-deliyery service, as a whole. has be-
come Tin America) q source of revenue instead
of an item Of expense. Such are the terms
in which the town-deIivery system is charac-
terized by POstmaster-Gemera TIL. l.. James.
annual Report. Washington, 1SSI.)
II i superluOus to enumerate the dIsadvan-
tages Of the actual state Of things here, but it
will be proper to say that Honolulu Is, in this
respect, in a worse condition than the smallest
village III Europe and l think that. If not an
absolute necessity for this community, il would
be a most successful and, at any rate, interesting
experiment To undertake the distribution of
letters, beginning ut first with only one distri-
button a day. To produce at once the greatest
amount Of usefulness, the trial ought to include
the whole Of Honolulu territory, town and
suburbs these last being exactly the parts that
would be the most benefited, and would give the
greatest receipts, by supplying one of the most
ENANAlNA WAAAD " III ~ ErAAEl IL AANt AHO
farthest from the center of the town.
The Honolulu territory might be, for this pur-
pose. divided into five districts Honolulu
central. right and left Of Fort-street Nuuanu
Avenue, up To Queen Emma's residence Palama,
up To Three-mile House Waikiki Beach and
Makiki and Manoa, up to Kamoilili Church.
To begin with, two letter-carriers on horse
back might be deemed sufficient for the work
and If the Government were unwilling to furnish
or maintain horses. / shall very earnestly call the
attention Of the authorities to the fact, officially
recorded in the journal Il Union PoEtGle, that
during the past year, in a great many localities
Of the British Kingdom, to give relief to the
letteT-carriers, who hitherto made their rounds
on foot, and to accelerate in n very notable pro-
portion the distribution Of the mails, TRICYcLEs,
L.e., threc-wheel velOcipedes, have been furnished
by the postal department to the carriers. Tri-
cycles have also been adopted with success IN
different cities on the European continent, and L
hope that after such examples and authorities
before us, / shall not be deemed visionary, to
suggest that the thing might be tried here with
just a much reason, on the level streets and good
roads Of Honolulu. Yelocipedes are, to say the
least, as fast as horses, they do not require feed
ing and they are not supposed to break as often
and a irremediably as horses die. Moreover the
novelty Of their use would most likely help to
secure the services Of good carriers.
II the Government were unwilling to make the
trial of local distribution on the ordinary terms
Of drop letters, ris.. on the free delivery princi-
pie, which POstmaster-General James proclaims
to be a sure source of revenue-they might rem
der the receipts more apt 10 cover the expenses
by deciding that all local letters, the senders of
which would desire them to be distributed at
private residences, u dOmiciLe, would have to
be prepaid by a double tax, lie, two cents
and evidently nobody would refuse to pay an
extra cent for the advantage of the cores
pOndence being Immediately and surely de-
livered.
Moreover the editors of newspapers, who ut
present have to pay each their own distributors.
and who, Notwithstanding, have their work done
in q very inefficient way, and within only short
distances from the offices, would probably be
quite willing to secure n more extended and re-
liable mode of delivery and thereby a greater
number of subscribers, by giving up their pre-
sent mode. They then would gladly adopt the
intermediary of the regular, faithful and respon-
sible postal letter-carriers, and turn over to the
post office, in the shape Of a slight postage on
each paper, the money they are now spending
for their private carriers, thus helping the postal
authorities to cover the new expenditure. The
distribution of our local papers might be paid
tor to the post either in the French mode, a
special postage stamp being affixed on each
paper, or in the English or American style, by
contracts, payable monthly.
As the Ietter-carriers would also have to distribute
foreign mails, in which many articles insuficiently
prepaid may have to be paid by the receivers. to
avoid delays that might occur from the difficulty
of getting the change, / shall remark that IN
British India, IL Is forbidden 10 the letter-carriers
to deliver the taxed correspondence, except
against payment in ready fractions of money
they are not allowed to- wait for or To make the
small change, but IN case the receiver not being
able to find II himself, the correspondence Is
carried back to the Office and kept until the next
distribution.
Letter-clrTiers are generally bound TO carry a
stock Of usual postage stamps. which they sell
to meet the public wants.
According to the rules based on long ex-
perIence, il has always been found that. If the
wearing of u Uniform i not necessary for the
postal officers IN the Office, II Is best To insure
proper consideration TO letter-carrieTs by "A clear
distinctive sign, generally n hat or cap Of uniform,
like the soldiers furthermore they are to be con-
siderrd ~ sworn public servants, and eventually
may be called on outside Of their service-hOurs
TO lend a hand TO the police forces.
LETTEE Boxes.
The institution Of postal letter-carriers in
Honolulu would naturally lead TO the introduce
ton Of isolated letter BOrss, to receive the letters
to b. mailed or distributed IN town. These
boxes would have to be regularly visited and
e->ied twice a day from the frst) by the letter
- ~ their daily round trips, though in large
n,g,-I 'gsiness Is often Independently done
MM