TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



887 



hesitate to throw plenty of it even to the danger of 

 besmirching themselves. Have they passed away ? 

 I hope so. ( ?) 



Some time back I wrote a sketch in The 

 Mirror in which I described the state of the Post 

 Office as being more of a co-operative store than a 

 Post Office, that the Post Office was to all in- 

 tents and purposes subordinate to the co-operative 

 store, then carried on in it. That statement was 

 perfectly true but there I leave it ; things are, and, 

 for a long time, have been changed for the better ; 

 still it is strange that what I sarcastically spoke of 

 as having taken place Then is the absolutely accepted 

 fact Now, but not conducted under the aegis of a co- 

 operative store but under the aegis of the General 

 Post Office. You can order your pound of butter or 

 your pound of bacon, or your yard of cloth, suit of 

 clothes, or pair of gloves, and they are as regularly 

 and as safely delivered as they would be over any 

 commercial counter in the country, the difference 

 being — and it is a wholesome one — (C. 0. D.) which 

 being interpreted means M Cash on Delivery," which 

 heads of families would like to see universally 

 adopted. 



Let me now essay the task of trying, in an imper- 

 fect way, to describe the wonderful improvements and 

 strides made to bring this institution up to its present 

 state of efficiency. 



At length it was recognised that the Post Office 

 was in need of a thorough reform and it became 

 necessary to get an experienced official from the 



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