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POST OFFICE ROUTINE 1868-76
In January 1868 an official from the
GPO in London visited the Aden Post Office. His main
suggestion to Bombay was that on mail days a policeman
should be on duty outside the post office at Steamer
Point to control irate residents and passengers waiting
to receive or post letters. The cause of the problem had
been mentioned in the Aden Postmaster’s contribution to
the Annual Report for 1867-68. There was only one postal
clerk available to sell stamps and on mail days he was
needed to help sort incoming mail for Aden Camp. The
post office was in effect shut for two or three hours at
this vital time, to the annoyance of all concerned. The
postmaster solved the problem by taking on an extra
clerk purely to sell stamps.
A Postal Notice in June 1869 gave the
following latest times of posting, including on payment
of Late Fee at Steamer Point only.
|
Destination |
Crater PO |
Steamer Point |
With Late Fee |
|
Europe |
0600 |
0700 |
0815 |
|
India |
1230 |
1330 |
1415 |
|
China, Australia |
1530 |
1630 |
1700 |
|
Maurtitius |
1530 |
1630 |
1700 |
In order to speed up the mail service
between Steamer Point and Crater, in October 1869 a
request was made to substitute two of the camels with
two horses, which would cost the same 30 Rupees a month.
It was pointed out that the camels were labour camels,
capable of only three and a half miles an hour, whilst
horses with a maximum speed of 10 miles an hour could
easily do two trips a day.
In 1871 a civil contractor had a
contract to carry the mail between Steamer Point and
Camp. This camel dawk cost 90 Rupees per month. In
addition the contractor had to provide a carriage when
required whenever Mr Waller, the Aden Postmaster, or
other postal officials visited Camp Post Office. This
arrangement was not very satisfactory, especially on
mail days when a quicker method of transport was
required. The Resident therefore suggested to the PMG in
Bombay that the mail service would be more regular and
more efficiently run if it was independent of local
contractors, and that some of the new light mail carts
should be sent from Bombay.
It appears that no change was made
then but an opportune moment was on the next expiry of
the contract in March 1876. The Aden Postmaster asked
for two light mail carts, plus a horse to be used on
days when packet mail was distributed. The Postmaster
General Bombay replied that he thought that the ordinary
light spring carts being used in Bombay would do very
well for Aden. Two carts of these carts were sent from
Bombay in August and in November a request was made for
a water allowance for a mail van and the two men that
were employed taking mail between Steamer Point and
Crater.
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