At separation on December 10, 1859 there were fifteen post
offices operating in the new colony of Queensland. Settlement spread rapidly
from the south east corner as people drove their sheep and cattle out to take
up new stations and as gold was discovered.
As people settled and formed small communities one of the
first services they wanted from the government was the establishment of a
postal service. The mails were their only form of communication in the days
before the telegraph and their chief source of information as newspapers were
largely delivered by the mails.
There were many different situations in which new post
offices (and from 1869 receiving offices) were established.
Some were at developing towns such as Nebo and Westwood,
some at ports such as Fort Denison, some at small farming communities such as
Bald Hills and Allora and others at the newly proclaimed Agricultural Reserves
such as the Norman and Ipswich Reserves. The postmaster or receiving office
keeper at these places could be a farmer, storekeeper, publican or school
teacher or in the larger centres a C.P.S., Port Officer etc..
Some offices started at the solitary inns and stores on the
well-travelled routes into the newly opened up inland areas. Examples of these
were Jacob Goode's inn (later site of Nanango) and Henry Genge's store at the
second crossing point on the Burdekin River (later Dalrymple).
In the 1860-80 period, and to a lesser extent into the
1900's many offices were at the head stations of the vast runs then in
existence. Some of these were small towns in themselves with many houses, a
church, school, dairy, blacksmith's shop etc. and were in fact listed in the
directories of the time as 'private towns'. The station owner, book keeper or
storekeeper was usually the office keeper. Some of these 'towns' disappeared as
the runs were broken up into smaller areas for closer settlement e.g.
Callandoon and Rainworth, while others continued to grow and were eventually
proclaimed as town reserves e.g. the Mitchell Town Reserve was proclaimed at
the Mitchell Downs head station.
From 1864 on there were many offices on the gold fields,
some for only a few months, some for years and a few which persist to the
present day. 1864 saw the first post office on the Calliope and Clermont
fields, 1865 at Canal Creek, 1866 at Talgai and Crocodile Creek, 1867 at
Gympie, 1868 at the Cape River and 1869 at Gilberton and Ravenswood.
The postmaster or receiving officer on the field was usually
a storekeeper or publican but sometimes a miner, teacher, policeman or
Goldfield Warden, or later a T.O.K.. In some cases it is possible to follow
them, and the offices, as they moved from one area to another. In many of these
towns the buildings consisted of tents or slab and bark huts which were quickly
dismantled and easily moved. James McGroarty, a publican, can be followed from
Charters Towers in 1872 to Georgetown in 1874 then to Kingsborough in 1877.
Another was Thomas Templeton, a storekeeper, who was post master at
Kingsborough in 1878, then at Muldiva in 1891 and at Calcifer from 1894 until
1899.
The telegraph was first established in Queensland in 1861
but it was not until 1866 that operators began to act as postmasters or
receiving office keepers. In 1866 the operators at Condamine and Grandchester
became postmasters.
It is also possible to follow some of them from place to
place as the lines were extended e.g. Jose Antonio Pares was at Emerald in
1879, Bogantungan in 1881 and Pine Hill in 1883.
The first stretch of railway opened in Queensland in 1865
and for the next hundred years many post and receiving offices were at railway
stations. Practically all the post offices between Rockhampton and Longreach
and between Townsville and Hughenden opened at railway stations. The office
keeper was usually the station master or porter. If the station closed the post
office was often moved to the railway cottage where the gatekeeper ran it.
Figures 11 to 14 give an overall picture of the increase then decrease in the
number of post and receiving offices. They also show the number of official and
railway offices and the growth in Queensland's population.
The sudden increase in the number of official offices in 1893 is due to the fact that in that year all post offices at telegraph offices were made official. The sudden increase in post offices and drop in receiving offices in 1927 was due to the abolition of the receiving office classification.
In the small developing towns, before there was any true
post office, one place often acted as a collection centre for mail. For
example, in 1842 Thomas Alford, the first business man at The Springs (later
Drayton) opened a store where he received and distributed mail for the
convenience of his customers. It was not until January 1846 that a real post
office was opened there. In the 1860's the publican at Yuleba offered a similar
service. He also sold postage stamps and the Postal Department noted that many
letters were delivered in the area without being defaced at a post office.
Although this 'opened the door to fraud’ due to the possible re-use of the
stamps and the Inspector recommended that a post office be opened there it was
not until 1878 that a receiving office was opened. Another simple form of mail
service was the Loose Mail left in a roadside box by the mail contractor or at
a railway station by the guard, from whence the people would collect it.
When the residents of a particular area felt that a mail service and post office was needed they would petition the P.M.G. for this. Figure 15 is a petition from residents living near the junction of the Suttor River and Mistake Creek. This resulted in the opening of the Mount Douglas post office on April 1,1869.
When the people lived in a remote area, especially in the early days of the colony, they had to send a sketch showing the position of the place, the distance from surrounding stations and towns, possible mail routes and list the people who would benefit from the service. The Department would then investigate a number of factors before deciding if the service was warranted. The four factors they had to investigate were
a) the need for the
service,
b) the type of service that would best serve the needs of
that community,
c) the availability of a suitable person willing to run the
office and
d) the availability of funds in that financial year. The
first three points will be discussed in more detail.
The establishment of a receiving office was warranted if
there were six or more people in the district who would use it and if the
yearly total of letters, newspapers etc. handled exceeded 600. In some larger
settlements e.g. mining towns, construction camps etc. it would be obvious from
the number of people and the type of businesses that these requirements would
be met. In areas with smaller and more widespread populations mainly farming
areas the amount of mail could be investigated in two ways. The nearest
postmaster could be asked to count the mail handled for that area over a period
and make a yearly estimate from that. The second method was by the
establishment of a Free Bag service for a period of 1 to 3 months, counting the
articles handled, and making an estimate from that. One resident in the area
was appointed the Free Bag holder, an unpaid position. He was issued with a
mail bag and acted as a central point for the collection and distribution of
mail. No other postal services were available. If usage was insufficient to
warrant the opening of an office the Free Bag Service could continue for as
long as someone was prepared to do it.
If the estimated mail volume was 600 articles or more the
District Inspector would visit the area and report on factors such as the
number of people permanently resident in the area; types of local industries,
stores, boarding houses etc; the state of the local economy and whether
progressive or not; how the area could be connected to the existing mail
services; proposed office hours and frequency of mail exchange; whether parcels
would be handled and what weight limit would be imposed; whether a suitable person
was prepared to act as R.O.K.; allowances payable for the conduct of the
office; and distances from the nearest post and receiving offices, railway and
telegraph stations. The Inspector would then give his recommendation for or
against the establishment of a receiving office.
In some places trouble was encountered in finding a suitable
person to act as post master or receiving office keeper. The following extract
is from Mr. Thomas Murray Prior's report for 1860-63 but could just as easily
apply to their comments over the next thirty years. "Very serious
difficulties exist in respect to country postmasters when first a mail service
is extended. It is but right that the applicant should provide a postmaster,
for without the services of one it would be impossible to extend postal lines
into the far interior. Thus, for their own benefit, some resident either takes
upon himself the office of postmaster or deputes his storekeeper or some trustworthy
person on the station to perform the duties. When only one mail is despatched
or received at long intervals the duties are easy, and although the small
salary of £12
cannot compensate the individual for his trouble, the benefits otherwise
derived by regular postal communications fully does so.
"When a township is formed, the publican (for often
there is only a public house) is the postmaster. It must be seen at once, if
this can be avoided, that a public house is not a a fit place for a post
office.
"The storekeeper, when there is one, takes it up; he is
a great improvement on the former; because, although the salary is small, the
postmaster must be continually at his store and one helps the other and
attracts custom; but when his private business is increased he is apt to attend
more to that than to the post office because it pays better.
"I would recommend that, where advisable, the C.P.S.
should be appointed, and that country postmasters salary should be increased in
proportion to the mails despatched and received, or the quantity of work done,
so that the annual salary and the per centage of the sale of stamps will make
it worth their while to pay attention to their duties.
"They are in reality responsible men, and whether the
inland mail service is effectively run or not depends much on them. They report
the time of arrival and departure; the time which the mailman is behind; the
condition of the horses, or coaches if any, upon their report depend the fines
which are to be inflicted".
If approval was given for the opening of a receiving office
(or post office) a suitable name had to be agreed upon. It had to be one that
was not in use in any state, would not be confused with names already in use
and had to be acceptable to the local residents. From 1902 this checking was
done on an Australia wide basis. All new names for towns, schools, railway
stations post and receiving offices had to be sent to the Lands Departments of
all other states for checking and approval.
Facilities offered by the receiving offices varied with the
size and type of population they served and ranged from just a centre for
handling mail and selling stamps up to what was almost full post office
facilities. Services which could be offered included -
: receipt and distribution of letters, parcels, papers etc.
: sale of postage stamps,
: recording the receipt and delivery of valuable articles,
issue of postal notes at some offices such as Daradgee, Allenstown, Kolijo,
Coalstoun Lakes, Maroon, Darr Ck., Yuruga and Greenmount East,
: where the receiving office was also the telegraph office
they transmitted and received telegrams and later operated the public
telephone. Equipment which would be issued to the R.O.K. included
: book of instructions for receiving office keepers,
: the monthly Post Office Guides notifying opening, closing
and name changes of all other offices,
: mail bags and labels,
: sealing wax, candles and matches,
: an office seal for the mailbags. This was an oval metal seal
30mm by 25mm in size engraved with the name of the office. Figure 9 shows the
El Arish office seal. The office could not be opened until the seal had arrived
but often, so as not to delay the opening of a new office, a temporary seal
from a closed office would be used until the new one was made. For example the
R.O.K. at Cottonvale was given the old Baffle Creek seal to use until his was
ready.
: postage stamps,
: valuable articles book,
: letter balance, timetables, paper, official envelopes, red
and black ink powder, brown paper and twine.
If the R.O.K. was also the T.O.K. he received a book of instructions on the handling of telegrams and all the necessary forms. If postal notes were available he received the appropriate instruction book, an advance of postal notes to a predetermined value and a date stamp. The date stamp (See Fig.9) was for use only on postal notes and not on any mail. If postal note facilities were withdrawn from the receiving office the date stamp was returned to stores.
Rules relating to the running of these offices were given in the Postage Act of 1891 (See Section 3). Many receiving office keepers were unpaid - in 1877 there were 36 who were paid and 41 who were not, in 1878 the numbers were 46 and 48 respectively. The basic pay varied from £1 to $12 a year plus a commission on the sale of postage stamps (1% to 10%).
The scale rate of pay was
if mails handled:
1 day a week £1 a year.
2 days a week £3 a year.
3 days a week £5 a year.
4 days a week £7 a year.
5 days a week £9 a year.
6 days a week £10 a year.
There were also additional payments for lighting and office
space; the handling of parcels at a rate of 1d for each one; the issuing of
postal notes at a rate of 2d for each £1 worth sold; for telegram work at a
rate of 2d for each one transmitted and 3d for each one received, enveloped and
delivered; and for public telephone work the 1912 rate being 15% of call
revenue.
After the introduction of receiving offices in 1869 the
general rule was that post offices did not open as such but were preceded by a
receiving office. There were some exceptions to this especially in 1915.
A receiving office was eligible for elevation to a post
office if its revenue for the preceding year was more than £12 and was likely
to be maintained at that level. The District Inspector made another report
regarding the population, types of businesses, nearest post offices etc. and
made his recommendation based on this.
Some receiving offices, although exceeding the £12 level,
remained as such as the office keeper was not prepared to take on extra duties
and the community was happy with the existing service.
Post offices offered all the facilities listed above for
receiving offices plus, where necessary, Savings Bank facilities, postal notes
and money orders and later on child endowment payments, war and age pensions
and military and air force allotment payments.
In all but the smallest offices elevation to post office
status meant the introduction of postal notes and the change in status dated
from the day the new date stamp arrived. Introduction of money orders was
considered if the revenue derived from the sale of postal notes exceeded £6 a
year.
On elevation to a post office the postmaster received a date
stamp for use on postal notes, and on mail as a record of where and when it was
posted or received. Up to 1912 they also received a numeral obliterator for
cancelling the stamps, each office receiving a different number. The highest
number seen is 725 though many numbers were re-allocated as offices closed and
new ones opened. From about 1904 the circular date stamp was increasingly used
to cancel the stamps in place of the numeral canceller, especially at the
larger offices. Figures 20 & 21 show examples of these.
Other hand stamps used included 'R' or 'REGISTERED', '' for taxed articles, 'LATE FEE' for letters posted within 15 minutes of the closing of the mails and 'TOO LATE' for letters posted after this, 'UNCLAIMED', 'MISSENT' and a few others. When a post or receiving office changed hands the outgoing and incoming officials had to sign an inventory showing all equipment in the office and samples of all hand stamps then in use. Figures 10,16 & 17 show examples of these.
If the yearly revenue fell below £12 the post office was reduced to receiving office status.
In 1860 the basic salary for country postmasters was £12 a
year most of his income coming from his other job. The actual salary varied and
depended on the amount of work done ranging from £12 to £100. He received
allowances for making up private bags, handling telegrams, selling postal notes
and money orders, running the Savings Bank agency and a 10% commission on the
sale of postage stamps.
On July 1,1886 the allowances for private bags and Savings
Bank agency and the stamp commission which had previously been paid to all
country postmasters were withdrawn from postmasters who were also telegraph
office keepers, railway station masters and travelling mail officers. Instead
these people were paid their basic salary plus an allowance assessed on the
previous years’ gross receipts.
The main criteria for elevating a post office to official
status were the amount of work done and the yearly revenue. This change could
be an expensive one as illustrated by a note in the P.M.G's report for 1862
"The highest salary paid to a country postmaster is £100 a year plus 10%
on stamp sales. If an office is made official, and the postmaster is on the
staff of the Department, office and residence is required at a cost of about $2,000,
a salary of £250-2300 and generally two letter carriers at £120 a year".
In the early 1900's the semi-official post office classification was introduced. According to the Post Office Guides it was introduced in mid-1910 but the Cleveland post office file indicates that it was made semi-official late 1908. The information in the list below is taken from the Post Office Guides. Like official offices these had to provide a full range of services where necessary and a messenger had to be employed to deliver telegrams. The postmaster was not a member of the P&T Department the job being let on contract for a 1 to 3 year period. The offices were conducted in premises rented from other Government departments or from private citizens. Figure 18 is page 1 of the contract for the Clayfield semi-official office. Altogether there were 42 semi-official offices in Queensland classified as such between 1908 and 1912. The majority had been removed from this classification by 1925 and the last in the mid 1940's. Of the 42 offices 15 returned to unofficial status and 27 eventually became official.
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