portion of the piston rod 8 a guide rod 18 having a lower distal end directed downwardly is secured at its upper end to the horizontal plate 17 and extends parallel to and along an outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 14 the guide rod 18 is loosely fitted in a hole defined in a flange 19 fixed to an upper cover of the cylinder 14 the package receiver 7 is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the piston rod 8 for placing thereon packages 20 one at a time the package receiver 7 is preferably in the shape of a trough of triangular cross section with open ends for allowing easy transfer of a package from the first conveyor 2 to a second conveyor later described a pair of pipes 21 22 is connected to the cylinder 14 for introducing air under high pressure into the cylinder 14 the pipes 21 22 being coupled through valves 23 24 respectively to a source of pressurized air operation of the foregoing arrangement will be described introduction of pressurized air via the pipe 22 into the cylinder 14 raises the piston rod 8 and hence the package receiver 7 conversely the package receiver 7 is lowered when pressurized air is introduced into the cylinder 14 through the pipe 21 as the stepper motor 5 turns through a certain angular interval the cylinder 14 is turned through a corresponding angular interval about its own.