Travelling Post Offices in 1892

An excerpt from the Report of the Post and Telegraph Department of Queensland for 1893 on problems associated with the TPO service in that colony

TRAVELLING POST OFFICES.

The posting boxes in the travelling post office carriages and on the platforms of the various railway stations were provided for bond fide late letters, and not for those which ought in the ordinary course to be posted at the local offices of the various towns through which the railways pass; but it was found that these postal facilities were being misused, and that persons living nearer to a railway station than to the post office, or those whom business or curiosity drew to the stations on the arrival and departure of the trains, and even office boys, who found it more convenient to use the boxes on their way home by rail than the post office which was more out of their way, posted the whole of their correspondence in these receptacles, including that portion that could not be dealt with by the travelling post office. This practice attained such dimensions that it either had to be checked or additional assistance provided at considerable expense to cope with it, and it was decided to enforce the payment of the late fee of one penny on all inland letters posted in these receptacles, while those for places beyond the Colony had to bear one additional rate. It may be as well to mention that these fees are the lowest in the Australian Colonies, and are less than the fee (two pence) required to be paid in cash on letters sent loose by trains in the United Kingdom.

The desired result has been obtained, as shown by the decrease in the number of letters posted in the travelling post offices during the past year; while the considerable number still posted shows conclusively that the fees have not interfered with the legitimate posting of bond fide late letters.

In the offices on the Southern and Western Railway there were 134,465 fewer letters posted than in 1891, the numbers being 223,350 in 1891, and 88,885 in 1892; packets and newspapers decreased by 87,834. Letters officially registered fell off by 344, while those registered on application showed a slight decrease, the numbers being 1,497 in 1891, and 1,480 in 1892. The falling off in the number compulsorily registered was caused not only by the general diminution in the numbers posted, but also by the operation of the amended postal laws, which, unlike those of the other colonies, do not require letters containing bank notes to be registered.

Mails received and despatched show an increase of 2,227 and 1,849 respectively; while the letters received increased by 114,846, many of these being delivered to railway camps and gangs, and at places where there are no post offices. To persons so situated the travelling post office is a great boon.

On the Central line there was a decrease in the number of letters posted of 17,667, and of packets and newspapers of 56,057; while letters officially registered fell off from 197 in 1891 to 112 in 1892. Letters otherwise registered in 1891 numbered 2,666; in 1892 there were only 2,009, being a decrease of 657. The mails received and despatched increased by 642 and 627 respectively, and the letters received numbered 195,070, being an increase of 29,738 as compared with the previous year.

The English and Foreign correspondence dealt with by the Southern travelling post offices continues to increase; the numbers for 1892 being 20,493 letters, 1,719 packets, and 9,580 newspapers, as compared with 15,116 letters, 1,021 packets, and 6,369 newspapers during 1891. (Report of the Post and Telegraph Department of Queensland for 1893)