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Kralska sluzhba za dostavka

File:KatDost.png
Type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Postal services
Founded	1880 (1880)
Headquarters	Katranjiev
Area served	Katranjiev
Services	Mail, parcel post, courier
Owner	Government of Katranjiev
Website	ksd.kj

The Kralska sluzhba za dostavka (Katranjian: Кралска служба за доставка) is the postal service of Katranjiev, operated as a crown corporation.

History

Origins

Katranjian postal carriage from Antoni, c. 1870s

The origins of the postal system in Katranjiev may date back to the conquest of Katranjiev by the Neo-Sepcan Empire, as the Neo-Sepcan Empire generally inherited the postal systems used by the Lysandrene Empire.

However, the postal system at the time was primarily for communications between government officials, as it was necessary for officials to correspond with officials on the other side of the Gulf of Gelyevich. As imperial power weakened, the ability of the imperial government to maintain those postal systems weakened, and by the 800s CE, most communication between settlements was primarily done via ad hoc methods. By the end of the first millennium CE, very little mail went to and from Katranjiev.

With an increase of trade among the existing trade routes between East Borea and West Borea, Katranjiev became an important stopover point, which would allow enterprising couriers to transport mail and goods from both East Borea and West Borea to the other region, reaching a point that by the early 1400s, the two most prominent couriers delivering mail in present-day Katranjiev being the i Metlichina family in the west, and the al-Naqil family in the east.

Over the next few centuries, the two families would dominate trade, with very little competition in the areas served: according to Apostol X's record of the Golyamo Tour in 1682, he noted that:

"Over the course of my journey, I have communicated with my court and my nobles via either an i Metlichina or an al-Naqil. Only once, on the pass from Krasimir to the Great Desert have I seen both of them plying their trade.

This situation continued until the start of the nineteenth century, when industrialization made it easier for mail to get to places. At the same time, many who were working have had enough of the practices of the al-Naqil and the i Metlichina families, and lobbied the Dukes to take control of all postal services going through their duchy. Thus, over the coming decades, the Dukes purchased their routes, or else proscribed the two families from operating in their territory, with the al-Naqil losing their last route by 1857, when the duchy of Talnakh purchased it, and the i Metlichina losing their last route by 1864 when the duke of Valariev issued an edict prohibiting them from operating their routes.

However, with each duchy having their own postal system, it became more difficult to transport mail across Katranjiev. A royal commission reported in 1879 that:

"A century ago, one can send a letter from Desislav to Krasimir for a relatively high sum, but a sum that can easily be predicted. Now, one has to go through four duchies, each with varying rates, meaning that the recipient pays more overall for the journey than what had been when the Metlichina's operated the route."

Establishment

Postmen in Bizuwiha, c. 1890-1910

In April 1880, Apostol XII issued a royal decree, establishing an organization "with the power to set universal rates" for all mail crossing the country, and appointed Tsetsu i Metlichina, who had previously operated the routes in the duchy of Valariev prior to 1864, to be its "postmaster general."

Tsetsu i Metlichina sought to integrate the existing ducal postal networks into a "coherent national system," with rates that were fair. Thus, in October 1880, Tsetsu announced as a stopgap measure to require that all mail transported between duchies must be charged at the cost of the destination duchy.

Over the next several months, Tsetsu i Metlichina studied the postal systems in other countries, especially Montecara, to see which innovations should be adopted to establish a more efficient postal system across national borders. He took an interest to the postage stamp, which he felt would not only reduce the "amount of wasted mail" if the sender cannot afford to pay, but also enable the application of a flat nationwide rate, which would make it cheaper.

Thus, in July 1881, the first Katranjian postage stamp was issued, depicting the head of Apostol XII, and valued at 6 chasti, for letters weighing one lot (12.7974 grams) or fewer, followed days later by one worth 1 srebro, for letters weighing between one lot and three lot (38.3922 grams). This marked the end of the stopgap measure, and the government required that all mail use the stamps: by the end of 1881, all duchies adopted that system.

Tsetsu i Metlichina died in 1882, and Apostol XII appointed Osahar al-Naqil to be the second postmaster general. Under Osahar al-Naqil's tenure, he focused on standardizing the postal system, in order to ensure that "all mail can be treated the same in all parts of the country." To this end, Osahar al-Naqil instituted uniform policies, requiring all mailbags to be made of the same materials, and all postmen to wear the same uniforms: in 1885, with the passage of the Constitution of Katranjiev, the postal system was implicitly assigned to the federal government, and by 1888, "there [was] absolutely no distinction between the postal systems of Genalzim and Desislav."

With the standardization complete, Osahar al-Naqil retired in 1890, and was succeeded by Branimir i Metlichina, son of Tsetsu i Metlichina. Under Branimir's tenure in the postal service, he focused his attention on innovating the Katranjian postal system, in particular introducing post boxes in 1895, which were intended to help "the worker send mail to his or her family living elsewhere" without needing him to go to the post office.

20th century

Pre-1960s postal box

In 1907, Branimir i Metlichina retired on account of his old age, and was succeeded as postmaster-general by Habib al-Qatil, son of Osahar al-Naqil. Habib al-Qatil maintained his predecessor's policies regarding innovation: in 1911, first-class mail was introduced, and in 1916, airmail was introduced.

In 1921, Habib al-Qatil retired, and was succeeded by Branimir's son, Volen i Metlichina. Volen i Metlichina, like Habib al-Qatil, and his father, continued to innovate the Katranjian postal system. Volen i Metlichina served until his death in 1947, and was succeeded by Habib's son, Abbas al-Qatil.

While Abbas al-Qatil continued his predecessor's tradition of innovation, most notably by introducing postal codes in 1953, with the rise of terrorism in Sekhessia, Abbas al-Qatil was forced to establish a postal inspection agency to protect consumers and staff from bombs and "other weapons of destruction that could be used to harm civilians and government officials."

Abbas al-Qatil retired in 1973, and was succeeded by Volen's niece, Snezhana i Metlichina, making her the first female postmaster general in Katranjian history. Snezhana i Metlichina began to make reforms to the structure of the Kralska sluzhba za dostavka, such as closing unprofitable post offices, excluding for those in remote areas of the country, absorbing telegram services in 1979, as usage of telegrams declined, and in 1985, introducing stamp vending machines, which combined with post boxes, were intended to replace post offices in remote areas.

Contemporary era

Snezhana i Metlichina resigned in 1992, after allegations that she used her position to assist her family emerged, and was succeeded by Abbas' son, Imad al-Qatil, becoming the final postmaster general.

With the internet gaining traction, Imad al-Qatil announced in 1995 plans to provide a national webmail service: however, opposition from internet service providers forced Imad al-Qatil to back down. Despite this setback, Imad al-Qatil continued to look towards the internet, saying in 1996 that "online shopping will form a lot of our revenues." However, as other companies were allowed to deliver parcels, Imad believed that "the best way to keep our postal system fit for the digital age is to have it adopt a corporate structure."

In 2001, the government of Katranjiev acceded to Imad al-Qatil's request, with then-Prime Minister Paul Grigoryev stating that "the profits generated by our postal system will remain with the people." Thus, on January 1, 2002, it became a crown corporation, with Imad al-Qatil become the chairman, while Snezhana's brother, Yatso i Metlichina becoming the chief executive officer.

During the 2000s, the Kralska sluzhba za dostavka began competing with parcel delivery services, such as (TBC): many people preferred to use its services for parcel delivery, as they had a high on-time rating, with only 2.1% of packages being delayed. Automated postal kiosks were introduced in 2005.

Imad al-Qatil stepped down in 2011 as Chairman, and was succeeded by Yatso i Metlichina as the new Chairman, while a new CEO, Ruzha Iskrenova was appointed, with Yatso i Metlichina stating his intention to "end the tradition where an al-Qatil or an i Metlichina has governed our country's postal system."

With the election of the government of Viktor Kahut, he expressed the intention to partially privatize the company in 2014. This was met with substantial criticism, both by the postal union, and by Yatso i Metlichina, who threatened to resign if it were to move forward. After their defeat, Magarit Ogynan abandoned the plan to privatize the company.

Operations

Central Post Office, Krasimir, 2008

As of 2017, the Kralska sluzhba za dostavka operates 4,695 post offices, 2,405 automated kiosks, 5,670 stamp vending machines, and maintains (TBC).