STREET NAMES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 133, 8 June 1925, Page 8

STREET NAMES.

■ FAR TOO CONFUSING.

AUCKLAND'S DUPLICATIONS. URGENT NEED'FOR REVISION, DELIVERY OF LETTERS DELAYED. An inspection of the London Street Directory reveals a list of over fifty different High Streets in London and the adjacent boroughs. Auckland lias not got quite so far as this, but apparently j.i our effort to grow -more like London every day" we have managed already to creato an extraordinary nmount of confusion through the duplication, the triplication and even thci quadruplication of street names. This state of affairs causes considerable confusion in the minds of tbe citizens, and. what is far more serious, it results in serious delays in business circles. Never a day passes but the Post Office officials are faced with "posers" in the shape of insufficiently addressed letters and telegrams, and the result is that these documents may have to be tarried round three or four beats by the postmen before the localities of" the street addresses are determined and delivery effected. The work entailed means extra expense to the Postal Department and causes most annoying deJays in the delivery of correspondence. The repetition of street names in nnd around Auckland also gives endless trouble to tho Registrar of Electors. When notifications of changes of addresses reach him the electoral staff has frequently to hunt up almost half-a-dozen electoral rolls beforo the electorate can be determined. For example, John Brown intimates he has removed from 'George Street to School Road. There is George Street in Auckland East, in Parnell, in Eden, in Grey Lynn, and in Manukau, and School Road may ha found in Eden, Manukau or Gre\ Lynn. A house in Spring Street maj be in one of four electorates; one in Seymour Street may be in one of three electorates; and one in Wellington Street mny be in Auckland Central, Auckland West, Parnell or Manukau. Too Much Similarity. Quite apart from the duplication ol street names, the similarity of names is a, source of very great confusion. There is Wyndham Street in Auckland Central; then there are Wynyard Road (in Grey Lynn and also in Eden) and Wynyard Street (in Auckland East and in Eden). There is a Wilson Street in Grey Lynn and one at Ellerslie. Williamson Avenue is at Grey Lynn (ana partly in Auckland Central), whereas Williamson Street is over in Parnell. Mr. Jones, who lives in Wharf Road may be an Auckland West elector or an Eden elector, or he may e.ven live at Onehunga, Panmure or St. Helier's. Quite a number of people leave the postal officials and the electoral department to find out for themselves. Wells Street may be found in Roslcill, Eden or Auckland East. Watea Street, Roskill, may easily be confused with Water Street in Auckland East or Manukau. Twelve Different Victorias. There is quite a formidable list of "Victorias." We have Victoria Avenue in Remuera, another in Mount Eden, and another in Mount Albert. There are Victoria Crescent in Auckland East, Victoria Lane in Auckland Central, Victoria Quadrant in Auckland East. Avondale boasts Victoria Road, and Joint Chevalier, Onehunga and Panmure each have Victoria Street. And to complete the list, there are Victoria Street East and Victoria Street West. And the probabilities are that Victoria Road, which is the name given to two stretches of road in Devonport, has also to bo considered by the postmen in cases of doubt. Incidentally,, it may be mentioned that the North Shore' borough boasts a Queen Street, as does Auckland, Onehunga and Ellerßlie, and has a Church Street just like Auckland West, Eden, Onehunga, Penrose and Mangere. Again Devonport has ■an Albert Road; so has Eden; which has also Mount Albert Road, and Albert Street is to be found in Auckland Central, Eden, Ellerslie and Onehunga.

In some cities an attempt has been made to keep similar names in a particular area, but the reverse is the position in Auckland and its suburbs. A man looking for "The Avenue" has the choice of Grey Lynn or Manukau. Bridge Street may be in Grafton, Mount Eden or St. Helier's. Brown Street may be in three of four places and the same applies to Buckland Road. The Addressing of Letters. Hundreds of people simply put "Tom Brown, 79, High Street," on their letters; thousands do not bother to give a number. Thus the postman has first to determinte which High Street is meant. Then he has to find which particular floor, and which particular room in No. 17 is occupied by Tom Brown. There are scores of offices in the seven-storey New Zealand Insurance Buildings in Queen Street, but few correspondents dream of assisting the Post Office by giving the floor and the number of the office to which they are writing. The absence of such information places an additional burden upon the poßtmnn, who, if he is new on tlie round, is very badly handicapped in hunting for addresses.

A very large number of people are neglectful in the direction indicated. It is quite common for postmen to get letters addressed to Manukau Road, which runs from the Parnell School to Onchuiiga, nnd includes about eight different postmen's rounds. Not only do many people neglect to state the city or suburban localities in which tin. addressees reside, but some are con tent to leave the Post Office to seou the whole of the Auckland province to unravel the needless puzzles they create. Quite apart from the confusion created by the duplication of street names i' and around Auckland, the postal authorities have a busy time redirecting letters intended for, say, Frankton Junction, but which are addressed to Frankton (Invercargill). Again Edendale Post Office is in Invercargill; there is no office of Hhat name in Auckland. All tMs confusion has caused some of the officials who suffer to suggest that the local bodies should meet and arrive at a sensible method of naming streets, so that existing faults may be remedied nnd further mistakes avoided.