Postal Delays

Businessmen Criticise Fiji Postal Delays

NEW Zealand exporters, particu larly of primary produce, and their clients in Fiji, are loud in their criticism of mail services to and from Fiji. Whether the situation will be improved or other wise by the recent rearrangement of air services in the South Pacific has yet to be seen.

Before Fiji importers can take delivery of their produce arriving from Auckland by USS Co’s Tofua or Matua, the shipping documents must be on hand from Auckland.

More often than not, the sailings of these vessels do not permit of documents arriving in Fiji by avail able air-mail services before the shipment actually arrives.

The documents cannot be com pleted in Auckland until just prior to the departure of the vessels and after the sea-mail for Suva has closed at Auckland post office. Un der these circumstances, the only method of getting the documents to Suva on time is by handing them to the respective pursers, for post ing on arrival at Suva. Even when this is done, there are frequent cases where the vessel arrives at Suva in the evening and the docu ments have not reached the post office’s private boxes until noon the following day.

New Zealand exporters and Fiji importers want to know why the Suva post office cannot immedi ately handle and sort overseas mails on arrival. At most smaller Island capitals when an overseas mail arrives—even if late in the after noon—sorting commences immedi ately and goes on until completion or at least until a very late hour, not only box holders but also mail counter customers receiving their

mail immediately.

The Fiji post office department however, steadfastly refuses to make funds available for overtime sorting of mails.