In my Report for the year 1876, it was intimated that the Commissioner for Railways had notified to this Department that, after the close of that year, the attention of the guards should be given exclusively to their railway duties. It therefore became necessary to make other provision for the Font Office duties. Travelling post offices in charge of mail officers by this Department ware established on the 1st January, 1877, and have been in operation from that date.
In accordance with the usual practice, a late fee was, at first, charged on letters posted in the travelling post offices, as the mail had been closed in due course at the Despatching Office. This fee, having been found open to objection, was abolished on the 24th March, 1877.
The third-class compartments of two composite carriages were fitted up for use between Brisbane and Dalby, and a van was utilised for the service between Toowoomba and Warwick. Subsequently, on representations being made that the latter was unsuitable, the Commissioner for Railways caused a special post office carriage to be constructed, which has been a great convenience. Application has been made for the construction of two similar carriages for the Brisbane and Chinchilla line, but as yet no action appears to have been taken, and it occasionally happens that mistakes occur owing to the necessity for placing some of the bags in the luggage van, when the mail, as is frequently the case, is too large to be accommodated in the travelling post office.
In consequence of fast trains having been established in July, which called only at a few of the stations, it became necessary to devise some mechanical means for the receipt of bags at stations where the trains did not stop, and after several trials, in which the Department was cordially assisted by the Commissioner for Railways and the Locomotive Superintendent, a suitable system has been in practice for some time and found to work very well - failures in transfer becoming very few, and these principally arising from circumstances over which there is little or no control.
The mail officers in charge of the travelling post offices receive and deliver mails at Brisbane, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Warwick, Dalby, and other places, and exchange mails with all the post and receiving offices on the railway line. The travelling post office, in fact, constitutes the only office of exchange with the offices established at railway stations, gates, and other places en route.
One of the advantages gained by the establishment of travelling post offices is, that letters posted at any station for another station on the line, in time for the travelling post office up or down as the case may be, aгe delivered by the same train without delays whereas, under the previous system, there was considerable delay and inconvenience.
Between Brisbane and Dalby two officers are employed who travel daily, except Sundays, 152 miles, and are each employed about 9 hours. The officer on the Warwick line travels to and from Toowoomba, 132 miles, and is employed about 8 hours daily.
The returns show that during the year 1877, 26,710 letters and 116,621 newspapers were posted in the travelling post office between Brisbane and Chinchilla; 419 letters were registered, of which 73 were compulsorily registered as containing money; 10,768 mails ware received, containing 117,487 letters and 10,700 mails were despatched, containing 129,002 letters.
On the Toowoomba and Warwick line, 10,833 letters and 11,889 newspapers were posted: 233 letters were registered, including 99 compulsorily registered as containing money; 4,009 mails were received, containing 58,458 letters; and 3,972 mails despatched, containing 64,450 letters.
P.M.G's Office, G.P.O., Brisbane,
Charles Stuart Mein,
Postmaster-General.
1st July, 1878
