The post office and its story : $b an interesting account of the activities of a great government departmentBennett, Edward
History
The post office and its story : $b an interesting account of the activities of a great government department
Bennett, Edward
Postal service -- Great Britain -- History
Each of these centres or “Roads” contains a group of towns, and the
Aylesbury Coach “Road” covers all places served by the coach. The basket
labelled “Blind” is to receive all parcels which have reached the Euston
division table in error, through having been mis-sorted at the first
stage, and also any parcels which bear insufficient or doubtful
addresses. The business of the sorter at this stage is to put the
parcels on to the proper “Road,” and unless he has thoroughly learnt not
only the groups of towns on each “Road” but also the numerous smaller
places subordinate to these towns, he will cause trouble at the third or
final stage of the sorting. When these baskets are filled with parcels
they are taken to their respective “Roads,” and then the final process
of making up the mails takes place. The sorter at “the Road” receives
the basket of parcels proper to his centre, and then he sorts the
parcels for the various towns included in his district. He may have as
many as a dozen mails to prepare for despatch within a few minutes of
each other, and this means that he has to sort his parcels into twelve
different receptacles. These are close round him, and the advantage to
the sorter of having his sacks supported at full length will now be
understood.
Any parcels which have been mis-sorted to the officer on “the Road” have
to be placed on a shelf, and are subsequently returned to the
sorting-table to be put into their proper channel. This means that they
may miss their proper mail, and the importance of obtaining reliable men
for the sorting of the second stage is great.
The sorter at “the Road,” having packed his sacks or hampers, has to
prepare a bill for each receptacle, and this bill, when filled up, is
put in a pocket provided in the receptacle. The receptacle is then tied,
sealed, and sent off. The bill gives particulars of the number of the
receptacle, the offices of despatch and destination, the time of
despatch, and also an account of any registered or valuable parcels
which there may be in the mail. Registered parcels are not placed on the
ordinary sorting-tables, but are treated individually from the moment
they enter the Sorting Office to the time when they are packed ready for
despatch. They are passed from hand to hand, and signed for at each
transfer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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