REORGANISATION IN POST OFFICE

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26729, 13 May 1952, Page 8

REORGANISATION IN POST OFFICE

ERECTION OF NEW PARCELS BRANCH SEVERAL SECTIONS TO USE WENTWORTH The erection of a 7000-square feet parcels office in Moorhouse avenue, which will be completed early in July, is part of a reorganisation programme at present being carried out by the Post and Telegraph Department in Christchurch. The reshuffle involves six of the departmen’s most important branches, including motor registration and telephone installations. The motor registration section, which is at present occupying counter space in the old 'Chief Post Office building in Cathedral square, the received parcels branch, and the parcels customs section, which are at present on the north side of Hereford street, will be moved into the Wentworth building. It is also proposed to transfer to the Wentworth the motor spirits taxation refund branch, which is now situated upstairs in a Hereford street building. The subdivision of the Wentworth is at present being undertaken by departmental tradesmen, and the work is well in hand. As it will be necessary to use part of the Wentworth accommodation for motor relicensing during June and early July, branches other than the motor registration will be moved into their new quarters after relicensing is completed. With the transfer of the parcels branches into the Wentworth, the existing parcels branch will be altered to provide for the transfer of the postmen’s branch, now on the second floor of the main post office block in Hereford street. The area at present occupied by the postmen’s branch will then be made available for the installation of telephone translator equipment, which is necessary to enable subscribers who will remain on the rotary type of automatic equipment to communicate with the subscribers who will be served by the new step-by-step equipment which is being installed. Within a few years, new step-by-step equipment will also be installed in this space, to replace the rotary equipment in the central exchange. Under the new set-up, the postmen's branch will be next to the mail room, which will be an improvement on the existing arrangement. 'Die new parcels branch building being erected in Moorhouse avenue is near the Railways Department's administrative block. It will be a singlestorey building, with five loading docks. The building should be open for business before the end of July. The department intends to provide at the Moorhouse avenue building the facilities for the bulk posting of parcels by the larger business firms. The diversion of bulk parcels postings from the Hereford street parcels branch will save space for the department in the Wentworth building and at the same time afford considerable relief to the congestion of motor traffic in Hereford street, and also in the mail room loading dock.