MANUAL OF THE Nil,AGITlT DISTRICT. 407 



CHAPTER XX. 



POSTAL DEPARTMENT. 



Nnmber of Post Offices.— History of Ootacamand Post Office.— Old postal rates. — 



Hill Post Offices brought under inspection. — Present establishment. — Number pjjAP XX 



of letters received and despatched. — Revenue. — Coonoor and K6tagin. — Welling- 



ton.— South-East Waindd.— Old postal route of the Hills.— Tonga.— Rates for Postal 



-Post hours at Ootacamand and other offices. Department. 



There are four Post Offices on the Nilagiris, viz., at Ootacamand, Number of 



Coonoor, Kotagiri, and Wellington. ^^^^ 0®*^^^- 



Ootacamand is the first station at which a Post Office was History of 



opened. This was in the year 1826: the establishment then 2°*f ''^T''''^ 



. 1 e . T T T Post Office, 



consisted or one writer and two delivery peons. In 1828 an 



additional writer and delivery peon were sanctioned, and in 



1829 (as the Hills were becoming more generally known) the 



delivery staif was increased by two more peons. There appear 



to have been no fresh changes till the year 1837, when Colonel 



Thomas King was appointed Postmaster, drawing a subsidy 



of Rupees 100 per mensem, with two clerks, one on Rupees 



35 and the other on Rupees 20, and four delivery peons. Mr. 



Hodges was the next Postmaster, and held office for a period of 



more than twelve years (from 1843 to 1855), During his time 



the establishment underwent several changes. 



The rates of postage prior to the year 1854 (when the postage oid postal 

 labels were first introduced) were regulated according to dis- rates. 

 tances and weight. The charge for a letter weighing a tola to 

 Madras was in those days 8 annas, and it was five days in transit. 

 A letter of the same weight now goes for 1 anna and is one day or 

 twenty-four hours in transit. 



It was not till the year 1855 that the Post Offices on the Hills Hill Post 

 were included in the inspectoral circle of Coimbatore. Ootaca- ?^°®f 

 mand is the head or disbursing Post Office, and all the others are undef- inspec- 

 subordinate to it, Mr. Hodges was the first inspector ; Mr. *^°°- 

 Bower is the inspector at present. 



Total ... 2/4 12 



