Last year, one of my sons was married in New York and, if it was up to the Jamaican Post Office, I would not have been at his wedding, nor would I have known the date. The invitation took four months to reach me!

On March 11, I received a letter postmarked in New York, February 17. It is postmarked at Liguanea Post Office February 23, so it took six days to come from New York and three weeks to come from Liguanea Post Office to Seymour Avenue.

I am also awaiting a letter mailed from Australia on December 7, 2008 - but I have not given up hope for Australia is so much farther from Jamaica than is New York - and it is only three months so far.

Thankful for telephones

The fact is that I have no way of knowing how many letters I have never received! However, it is good that there are telephones and computers providing other methods of communication.

While on the subject of communication, I made 30 attempts yesterday to telephone the Registrar General's Department in the Kingston Mall without success. All the telephone lines rang unanswered, when they were not busy, or rang and rang for maybe two minutes and then I heard a busy signal. I called Cable and Wireless and they said they had no report of the telephones being out of order.

I have seen several articles over the years praising the efficiency of the Registrar General's new statutory status, but I guess you cannot have it all. I will try to reach them by mail.

I am, etc.,

WILLIAM G. WHITING

willwhiting@hotmail.com