SPRINGBURN EN FETE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10164, 19 July 1924, Page 6

SPRINGBURN EN FETE

NE¥/ POST OFFICE OPENED.

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE OPERATES.

>EPARTMENTAL MEN SPEAK

The new post office and telephone exchange at Springburn was oiiiciaily uponed yesterday afternoon in the presence of Departmental officers and Jounty representatives. Among the visitors present were:—The District ielegraph Engineer (Mr J. McDermott), the Chief Postmaster (Mr J. F. Broadfoot), the Ashburton Postmaster (Mr J. Mulvey), the Chairman of the Ashburton County Council (Mr W. G. ualiagher), the Mayor of Ashburton (Air R. Galbraith), Messrs T. S. Harrison and D. J. Morrow (members of the County Council), and Messrs M. v. Pike (Telegraph Engineer), and Mr YV. M. B. Veitch (Assistant Telegraph Engineer). Included in the apologies for* unavoidable absence was one from the Postmaster-General (the Hon. J. G. Coates). , The new post office is a very handsome building; in concrete, with double monolithic walls, which render the interior damp-proof.. The exterior is of with reddish slate roof. The porch entrance, beyond which are located . "the private letter boxes, protrudes to wares the school road and is surmounted by a- woodenshtc'd facade, which bears beneath it, in concrete, the words "Springburn Post Office." ' The rest of the frontage lias several feet of slated wait above' the rough-cast, which /accommodates a large plain glass window in its centre. The interior of the builddees credit to the outside, and bears out the testimony of several authorities that it is. the best-equip-ped and most artistic building cf its bind in the South island. The mam office 23ft. x I2ft., provides facilit.es lor counter work, counter letter delivery, private letter boxes, and telephone toil connections. Connected with the office are a living-room, p< au " try, scullery and bedroom. The floors are of black pine, with rimu finishings throughout. Lines of flags stretched across the road from the main pole yesterday, and a crowd of perhaps 100 were ready to welcome the officials. The visitors inspected the entire building from all angles, and the crowd of small boys and girls from as many as they could see between the bars of the counter shield.

Mr W. Comyns, convener of the gathering, spoke on behalf of the residents of the district. He. remarked noon the very satisfactory attendance, and congratulated the Department upon the erection of such a fine budding. It would be both ornamental and useful. The people of the district were also, complimented upon their progressive spirit shown in this matter. The. services of Mr W. J. Stringer, who was in charge of the office, would be an acquisition to the district. The local people had been too long without telephone connection with the cities.

The Chairman of the Ashburton County Council (Mr W. G. Gallagher), to whom the key of the building had been presented by Mr Comyns, then declared the office openel officially. His congratulations were extended to the Government and the people of the district for the progressive spirit shown. The Department had asked, for some land, and the County Council, he was pleased to say, had given the section upon which the new post office stood. The council would be, he was sure, just as generous when other districts required land for the same purpose! An adjournment was then made to the school, where tables were laid. A lengthy toast list was gone through, and congratulations extended to those responsible for the erection cf the new office.

j Mr John Hood spoke of the great benefits which had accrued io Springj iiurn, Staveley, and Mount "Somers through the telephone system. There was no doubt some of the older people were too conservative to link up, but this was not the spirit which had brought man from the stone ago to the civilisation of to-day. He suggested as an improvement the linking up of the Mount Somers railway station-, and some other means of connecting with Methven «nd Maylield than through the circuitous way of the Ashburton Exchange. It was quite 60 years since the speaker went through this "slough if despond," as Springburn was then, and it did his heart good to see many happy people now congregated in the district. Mr P. H. Jones, in proposing the toast of the Department, spoke of the expedition with which the work of connection had been done. More subscribers would mean longer hours for the exchange, and this was a desirable thing. The District Telegraph Engineer (Mr J. McDermott) said one could hardly realise that, after having seen such small places as Springburn linked up throughout -whole Dominion, only 48 years ago the telephone was not invented. Ten years ago the TransContinental service of America was inaugurated, and now istretched a distance of 3400 miles*. It was almost inconceivable that during the lifetime of Dr. Bell and Mr Watson, who invented and perfected the telephone, a speech over five yards of wire could now be heard over many thousands. The old pioneers of Springburn could look back to days when the district was in the native tussock, and note with pride the progress made. The Methven a.nd Mayfield exchanges had both recently been opened, and could be considered, as twins, though one had arrived somewhat later thaii the other; There had been some bickering over the fact that there was no exchange at Mount Somers, but he would point out that Springburn was the natural centre of the district. Ashburton was going to be one of the most important telephone centres in the Dominion, continued Mr McDermott. Ashburton and Rangiora shared the distinction of having to Ghvistchurch more toll lines than any other towns in the Dominion. With regard to the previous- speaker's suggestion? that Springburn should be linked up with Mayfield direct, it was pointed nut that such a course would benefit onlv about half a dozen subscriber?, •vhoro.-is the people of Christchurch and Tirhani who wished to pet into f-oiT-L with these plaoes should be con- ■ <:idfived. The Department catered <•<->!!< for the main lines, and sidelines

I detracted from a really comprehensive scheme. About oU houses were now linked up by telephone in the Springburn district, and he trusted there would soon be 100 or 150. Between the Rakaia and the llangitata there were many houses which had not a telephone connection. This would be changed just as soon as the people asked for it, for the Department's ideal was: "One house,.one telephone." He remarked upon the great amount of worEhtho Department was doing, and mentioned that during the last two months over 2000 poles had been erected in Ashburton. He concluded by stressing the fact that the Department was eager and anxious to help all who wished to avail themselves of the benefits of the telephone. The Chief' Postmastor (Mr J. E. Broadfoot) gave an outline of the progress the district had made since the first settlers took up land in the early 'sixties. The lands were then wild, and the only" conveyances were bullock waggons. Wool-growing was the staple industry. Shortly afterwards sawmills were established at Alford Forest and other places along the foothills, and settlement grew steadily. In those days roads were unformed and rivers | unbridged, and although the country ' was flat it was a work .of considerable difficulty to move about from one dace to another. Continually-shifting fords of the rivers made travelling very dangerous, and took a heavy toll 1 of the early pioneers. The first, post office at Springburn was opened in the schoolhouse on January 1, 1883, in charge of Mr Albert Belle-man. A permanent post office and telephone exchange was suggested about 1921,. and through the efforts of Mr J. Brown, of Mayheld, a member of the Ashburton County Council, the present site of one acre was handed over to the Department by the council. Eventually the erection of an up-to-date building in concrete was decided upon, and Mr W. J. Stringer, of the Ashburton post office staff,' was appointed as postmaster. Mr Broadfoot concluded by pointing out the progress the Department had brought about throughout the Dominion by the introduction of the rural mail delivery. Ho advocated the more extensive use of this daily delivery, whose annual cost was only £l. The Postmaster at Ashburton (Mr J. Mulvey) congratulated the people upon the establishment of the exchange, and notified his entire willingness to help along the mail and telephone schemes in the comity. Mr E. J. Paul, in responding to the toast of " The Press," traced the development of the district during the 42 years he had been in the county. ■. The forward movement made was simply remarkable. Other speakers were Messrs F. J. Evans (whose remarks appear in another column), W. J. Gallaghor, T. S. Harrison, D. J. Morrow, John ' Brown (Mayfield), W. T. Smith, M. A. Pike (telegraph engineer), and H. Shaw and W. R. Townsend. (line foremen). The toasts honoured were: "The King," "The Department," "The County Council," "The Construction Partv," " The Ladies," and "The Press." The function was concluded by a .vote to the president, Mr Comyns.