THE POST OFFICE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 117, 21 May 1925, Page 6

THE POST OFFICE

ITS WORK AND PROGRESS

ADDRESS BY ME. A._ T. MARK-

MAN.

There was a large gathering at the Palmerston North Luncheon Club on Tuesday afternoon when Mr. A. T. Markman, secretary .to Uie Post and Telegraph Department, delivered a brief but highly interesting address on the various aspects of that State enterprise.

Mr. G. I. M'Gregor presided, and, in introducing Mr. Markman, expressed the pleasure of the club at his attendance and at having the opportunity to learn something first-hand of such an efficient Department so free from "red tape" and one with which.all the people came in intimate contact.

To apologise for the unavoidable absenso of Hon. J. G. Coates was the first action of the speaker on rising to address the gathering. "I am down to speak ou postal, telegraph, and telephone matters," said Mr. Markham, adding that those, however, only very briefly (unbraced the activities of a Department the operations of which were so widespread, with branches in almost every hamlet in the Dominion.

Co-operation was an essential of the Department, lie said, and they had it from the top to the bottom, but it was required from the people, too. The public should be treated by the Department as guests when they went there to transact business, and the public should treat the Department as a host. Mr. ' Markniiin appealed to business people to post letters regularly and not at long intervals in the day, for that tended to make | a great rush at certain hours. Host peoI pie had no idea how often letters were returned to the dead letter office through insufficient address, and ho suggested that business men should, as a safeguard, have inscribed on their envelopes the place to which the letter should be returned if unclaimed. He asked his hearers to assist in the matter of fully addressing letters and to register those containing money. By so doing- they avoided the temptation of employees and ensured the successful delivery of• valuables, missives. Mr. • Markman proceeded to allude to the circular system of reaching householders whereby, according to a scale of fees, the circulars were delivered to every household without the sender having to address the envelopes. For £400 a- circular would be sent to every one of the 250,----000 householders in New Zealand. Touching upon the night letter telegram system and its cheap rates, he.said that this facility had been greatly availed of. In the first year 15,000 such telegrams had been sent, 23.000 the next year, 26,000 the succeeding- year, and 90,000, or an increase of 215 per cent., in the next year, when the rale was reduced to 27 words for 9d. Last year 202,000 were dispatched. There was a like cheap service to Australia and elsewhere, he stated, detailing the charges. The Post Office Savings Bank had a fund of £46,000.----000. and lie urged people to take full advantage of its facilities. TELEPHONE WORK. The speaker proceeded to allude to the improvement which had heen brought about in the hours of operation of the, exchange, but stated that in his opinionl the service- to midnight was in most cases as good as a. truo continuous service from the point of view of business usage. • On the last statistics prepared iv connection with telephone work; New Zealand was fourth in the world in point of telephones per capita, while last year the Dominion had made more progress in Iliis direction than- any other country in the world. The United States led, followed by Canada and Denmark, with New Zealand in the position named. It was expected that, when the next statistics were prepared, New Zealand would have taken third place after Canada, and in advance of Denmark, while it was calculated that ultimately New Zealand would be second only to the United states. (Applause.) In proposing a, vote of thanks-to Mr. Markman for his address, Mr J A Nash, -M.P., said "that there had been a lot ot business" in it—the Department was out for business and that was what was required for the success of Stateowned institutions. Ho deemed' it an excellent tiling for official representatives of Departments to meet the. people and explain matters as Mr. Markman had done so abiy on the present occasion, furnishing much interesting information about his Department.

Proceeding, Mr. Nash stressed the point that the Department could do a great deal more by judicious advertising tlian it did at present—he referred to publicity in the newspapers. For instance, he stated, probably not 50 per cent, of the people in Palmerston. North knew that by the night letter a telegram of 2/ words could he sent for ninepence Li you advertised in the Press you would double your business," said Mr Nash.

It was pleasing to reflect, he continued, tiiat there were now many voun°men m the Government services it the head of Departments-eneregtic officers who would look to the future and give the best possible service. He instanced Mr. Markman and congratulated him on his splendid work as Secretary to his Department, "We as citizens of Palmerston North and the citizens of the Dominion generally," Ea id Mr Nash arc satisfied that the Post and ' Telegraph Department is safe in the hands of Jlr. Markman.

fi . \r ?f als° spoke, stating that Mr. Markman was a boy in the service when the speaker was a vouneman in the.same Department, and congratulated Mr. Markman on his successlul career.

The vote of thanks was carried by acclamation. ■' J