The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-12-18
REPLY TO Au REY0IR.

ONSt VIC sly iuVulS VI au NSNOlls
relating to postal matters on Maui
that needs more than a passing no.
tice. 1t is distasteful to me to re-
sort to the press to vindicate my po-
sition, but in this case l see no
other way of defending myself from
the insinuations of your correspon-
dent, and in doing so / must also
take up the gauntlet for the other
postmasters who are particularly
mentioned in that letter.
In the first place word for the
mail carrier, and through him for
myself. 1t is but justice to him to
state that no one in Wailuku or Ka-
hului knew that the Lehua would
come again on the Kinau's route,
although eau Revoir" seems to
have known it instinctively; conse-
quently the mail carrier, supposing
the Kinau was coming on her regu-
lar trip, and nothing having been
said to the contrary, went to Maa-
laea bay with the mail at the usual
time. To his astonishment upon his
arrival there he learned that the Le-
hua had come in, landed mail and
gone. This could not have been
done had she left Honolulu at the
advertised time of the regular
steamer. Nothing was said to him
about the vessel not going the whole
route of the Kinau, and he brought
the mail back to the office, thinking
Gas we all did) that the chance to
send the mail to Hawaii had been
lost, not through any carelessness on
the part of the postmaster or mail
carrier, but from not being inform
ed of the movements of the steam
ers. The same reason applies for
the nonconnection with the Like
like. No one at the Wailuku Post
Office knew anything about the
Likelike going to Hilo until too late
to despatch mail by her. So much
for the Hawaii mail and the indiffer-
ence of the postmaster.
1t is unfair to criticise the pre-
sent mail carrier in such scathing
terms as are used by eau Revoir,"
for SO far he has performed the SER
vice exceptionally well. With Tom,
Dick and Harry to perform the
work, and his intelligent supervision
he has made the service very salts
factory as well as doing it for 33 per
cent. less than the former contrac-
/ ~ 4
any dnpafuonaDie plumbers or losu
any mail while in transit, which is
more than can be said of his prede-
cessor.
L am ready and willing at all times
to. .bestow praise where it is due, but
the former mail carrier, who, ac-
cording to "Au Revoir," carried
the mail for 6 years, did not during
my incumbency as postmaster, rem
der what consider an exception
ally efficient service.
The Tax Collector goes to the
landings upon the arrival and de-
parture of steamers that he may col
lect taxes from those who are leav-
Ing the district for other parts of the
islands, and does not necessarily know
that the steamer is going out of her
usual route, nor would he he likely
to know unless so informed by the
steamer officials.
The bad feeling exhibited by "Au
Revoir" in referring to the inappro-
priateness of the present appoint
ment of tax collector, and his ste
reotyped expression of 81 told you
so," is, to say the least, out of
place; and no doubt emanates from
a bitter disappointment in not hav-
ing the appointment placed in other
hands: then the well matured plans
of a certain syndicate would have
materialized, and several, including
perhaps "Au revoir," would have
been enjoying suck of Government
pap.
Now in regard to the letters that
your correspondent complains of us
having gone to Honolulu, thence to
their destination, instead of going
direct. wonder if he ever stopped
to think if it was possible for those
letters to have taken such a cir
cuitous route, and the postmaster
of the place from which they came
wholly ignorant of their ever having
been in the mail? If not. l will try
to inform him how it is accomplish
ed and perhaps he may be able
through his influence with his con-
stituents TO remedy the evil. 1t is
the custom with many people to
defer their correspondence until the
last minute, then they hurry to the
landing, get some passenger to take
their letters on board the vessel, or
perhaps give them to the purser
just as he is showing off from shore,
and expect them to go direct to the
parties addressed.
1t is too much to expect from the
purser's of the steamers, that they
assort mail for each port from the
drop letters that through careless
ness or Indifference find their way
on board the vessel. His duties
are too arduous and many, to give
such work proper attention; and
besides he is not paid for it, nor is
he expected TO do it by the govern
ment. Then why should private
individuals expect him TO do it, and
when he don't, blame the postmas-