NEW POST OFFICES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 473, 3 April 1909, Page 14

NEW POST OFFICES.

OPENED BY THE PREMIER.

FEATHEESTON AND UPPER HUTT.

The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) journeyed to Featherston and Upper Hutt yesterday for the purpose of opening a now post office at each of those places and attending a banquet and 'social at Upper Hutt. Featherston was rcachcd at 11 o'clock, and there was a largo turn-out of townsfolk and settlors. The Premier was welcomed by Sir. W. C. Buchanan, M.P., and by the chairman of the Town Board (Mr. J. W. Carder) and other" members of tho local 'body. Tho school children wero on parade. Speech at Featherston. Sir Joseph Ward, speaking from the steps of the, new building, began with a, brief review of the history of tho township, which, he said, was surveyed in 1858, by order of the Provincial Government of Wellington, by Mr. Tully and Captain Smith. The new town was named after Dr. Featherston, the Superintendent of the Provinco at tho time, and the streets were named after tlra members of the Provincial Government—Fitzherbert,. Fox, Brandon, and Wakefield Streets, for instance. The town was laid out with an eye to its futuro development, reserves being set aside for Government and municipal purposes. The suburban sections were sold at £3, and the town sections at £5 and upward an acre. Featherston was now a distributing centre for a rich agricultural and pastoral country, and has butter, cheese and dairy, factories. Its population in 1896 was 711; in 1906, .670;-and at the present time, 720. A Local Board was established in 1873, and Featherston was constituted a town district in .1881. The Premier also traced the history of the looal post and telegraph office, and quoted figures to show that the business transacted had considerably increased during tho last 10 years. In 1897,. 56,524 letters wore posted, and in 1907 there were 210,626. ' • Mr. Buchanan, M.P., and Mr. Carder also spoke, and an adjournment was then made to Mr. Tully's Empire Hotel, where the Prime Minister was the guest of the Town Board at luncheon.

Tho new building is "of brick construction j and of two stories, has tho office accom- , modation on tho ground floor, the post- j master's residence being on the upper floor. , The walls externally are cement, plastered j with rough-cast finish relieved with cornices, '| pediments, columns, arches, architraves, etc. 1 The contractors are Messrs. Cooper and Son, T Wellington, the amount of their tender being £2394. Upper Hutt. At 4 o'clock the Prime Minister reached Upper Hutt by special train, to conduct th© opening of the new post office. Mr. George Benge, chairman of the Upper 1 Hutt Town Board, introduced the Prime Minister to an assembly of upwards of 150 residents, in front of the new post office, which was decorated with flags. ' Sir Joseph Ward remarked that tho opening of a building such as the new Upper Hutt Post Office marked an event in the history of the town. A ceremony like the present one was a finger-post in the development of the Upper. Hutt. He wished the day to ■ be remembered by the younger portion of the community, and be would ask the responsible authorities to mark the occasion in a special way by allowing the schoolchildren, a whole holiday on Monday. He' was not'making this request on sentimental grounds, for the sooner. Jtho young folk began to take an interest in the affairs of the country the better it was for them, for him, and for the country by and by. They should look upon' tho opening of the post offico as one of the incidents-of their lives. The building replaced an old one, and its cost was close on £2000. The contractor had produced a very satisfactory building. Sarliest records showed that a post office had been in existence at Upper Hutt in 1859, the postmaster being Mr. Peter A. Wilkie. In 1860, the mail for Upper Hutt left Wellington on Wednesdays and Saturdays; in the opposite direction the ihail left Upper Hutt on Mondays and Thursdays. In 1863 a daily service'was inaugurated.. A telegraph offico was open«l in conjunction with tho post offico in 1875, in which year a money order office and a savings bank were also established. In 1880, the office was removed to tho railway station, where it remained until its removal to the present building. In 1894, tho old office was handed over to the Justice Department for use as a courthouse. The postmasters who had served at Upper Hutt were: —Messrs. Peter A. Wilkie, 1859; James Wylie, 1875; A. A. Winterburn, 1878; P. L. Payne, 1880; J. Unsworth, 1887 T. Lewis, 1890; M. Mater, 1894; J. Banning, 1898; H. A. Wright, 1903; ond J. Kemp, 1905, The postmaster taking charge of the new office was Mr. J. Comesky, lato postmaster at Ohaeawai, Bay of Islands. A telephone bureau had been opened at Upper Hutt in July, 1902, and a letter-carrier's delivery was established in July, 1907. The population of Upper Hutt at the census of 1896 ' was 339, and at that of 1906, 439. The present population of the district was about 900. The Hutt County had been constituted on November 1, 1876. Tho Upper Hutt Town Board was consti- j tuted on March 26, 1908. He had a return showing the"" increase of business at the Upper Hutt Post Office during the last ten . years Letters and postcards posted, 1897, 11,102; 1907, 71,305. Other articles posted, i 1897,-2925; 1907,'9113. letters and post- , cards delivered, 1897, 11,713; 1907, 84,474. Money orders issued, 1897, £683; 1907, £1772. Savings bank deposits, 1897, £1819; 1907, £5309. Savings bank withdrawals, i 1897, £672; 1907, £2178. Telegrams for- - warded," 1899, 3202; 1907, 4729. He I considered that Upper Hutt was now furnished with an excellent post office well t dapted for carrying on the postal affairs of 3 tho district.

Mr. Wilford, M.P., said one of his first promises when elected to represent the district was to try to get a new post and telegraph office erected at Upper Hutt. Tho growth of tho district had been phenomenal, and would continue. All along the line were seen signs of progress, and there would be more in the years to come, when tho suburban railway fares had had their full effect. Finally, Mr. Wilford led three cheers for the Premier. Cheers were also given for Mr. and Mrs. Wilford. The Prime Minister then opened the door and announced that business could be transacted within. The post office is a two-storied building in pointed red brick, tho upper portion being finished in rough cast cement. The facings are of red cement. Entranco is from the main road, by means of a porch, in which the posting boxes are placed. Off the porch are tho private letter-boxes, and another door leads into a rooomy public offico.

The furnishings are up-to-date, and everything is provided for the efficient working of a post and 1 telegraph office, telephone bureau, money order office, and savings bank. A telephone box, with double baize doors, occupies an inner . corner, near the postmaster's room. In ordor that a telephone exchange may be established later on, a largo room is left vacant for receiving a switchboard. Tho ceilings are of whito stamped steel, the walls are a light blue, and the dado is of ornamented paper work, painted a dark red. Upstairs, six living rooms compriso tho residence of tho postmaster and his family. A private door opens on the side street, and an independent stairway gives direct access to tne first floor. The building was erected by Messrs. R. A. Wakelin 'and Son (Wellington) under the direction of Mr. John Campbell, Government architect, and Mr. J. D. Louch, district engineer. The new post office opens with a staff of four, under the charge of Mr. J. Comcskey, postmaster.