A PALMERSTON GRIEVANCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 858, 2 July 1910, Page 6

A PALMERSTON GRIEVANCE.

Sir,—l'almerston North, the biggest railway junction centre in the North Island, "suffers considerably from a business point of view because of the antiquated postal and telegraphic facilities of its railway .station. ■ From timo to timo, the writer, with bthers, ■ has been inconvenienced through these

"back-blocks" postal and telegraphic methods, and officious Departmental red-tapeism, much languago and ver : bal complaints have been made unsuccessfully to tho powers .that be, and so with a fervent hope that'newspaper publicity, will not fall' upon barren soil 1 ask your indulgence to state my case, at the same time trusting that some up-to-date Pahnorston North commercial body will tako notice of the matter.

I arrived' here this morning about half-past nine by the train from AVoodville, and wished to send away a telegram' from tho railway station. ; , A board over one of the offices announced "Telegraph Office." -1 may say that I had business to do near the railway station, and I did not wish to go up to tho post office, as I was leaving by the next train for Taranaki, I was informed by the official, under instructions, ho said, from tho Postal Department, that my telegram could not be received. If I liked I could put in a telegram nearly two hours later—ll.ls a.m.—but not before. Tho telegraph officc, I was informed, was for the convenience of train passengers, but apparently not all; I mado it sufficiently clear that 1 was a train passenger, but. all to no purpose. I wanted to. know why'l could not write out tho telegram and allow it to stay at the telegraph offico until taken away by tho boy at 11.15, but tho only answer I received was that tho message could not be accepted. Tt was admitted-, however, by the official, that I could come along at 11.15 and put the telegram in, when it.' would be accepted. Telograins, I was informed, were accepted at 11.15 a.m., 12.30, 2, and 3.15 p.m., but there is no notice up to this effect, Even tho official who gavo mo this information was not sure of his figures, and had to be corrected by one of his staff. Another of the staff, a porter with possibly an idea that he was one of tiie prime geniuses who helps to administer our -wonderful railway system, stood by and almost fmiggeit>.(i in ' my face, simply because I showed an excusable perturbation over the business. I lave travelled over tlio North Island a few times, and havu left telegrams in the railway post boxes of such places as Ohakune, Feilding, Eketahuna, and Hawera, and have repeatedly left telegrams at Marton and Woodville, but Palmerston North, which is always advertising itself as a go-ahead place, can offer none of tho facilities.

I desiro also to say a few words about the post boxes at the Palmorston North railway statiou. There are two of them. One supposed to be for the benefit of the travelling public, is hidden away round a. corner of the old building. If you wish soinetimi;» to post a letter in this box from the railway station sido you have to climb over locked gates at the possible expense of a broken limb or neck. Tho legend on this box says that it is cleared at 5 and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.' Tho other box is supposed to be for late fees. Its legeud roads "Closed," and then underneath, "Lato letters, for despatcli per express trains only maybe posted here up to within' 5 minutes of the - advertised time of departure. Lato fee, Id." This box is run on the go-as-von-please stylo. It is not open up to within five minutes of the advertised time of departure of the express trains. It is nearly always closed, and often so within five minutes of the departure of the trains. .But what a ridiculous arrangement. Tho first box referred to closes its correspondence for Wellington at 2 p.m., and anybody wishing to post a letter to got away that day must either haug around tlie station and wait for the'train or the problematical opening of the late-fee box, or walk over half a mile to tlm Palmorston North Post Office, In Levin, tliero aro two post offices, ono a. big building near the railway station, the ntfher equally as big a building, near tho town. Palmorston residents near the railway station- have to walk from half a mile to a mile, if they wish to make certain of posting their letters. At (llicli stations as Mastorton tho railway post box is cleared from ten to fifteen minutes before the' departure of the principal mail trains. Why does not the Palmorston North Postal Department study tho wishes of tho people to feed it? Tho Department

has been told of the matter, hut apparently beliove's in the good old policy of Let-'fliings-Slide. In conclusion, I have no hesitation in stating that tho telegraphic and postal facilities at tho Palmerston North railway station are a. disgraco to a town of its sizo and importance.—l am, etc., BUSINESS MAN: Palmorston North, Juno 30, 1910.