POSTAL BUSINESS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 142, 20 May 1925, Page 5

POSTAL BUSINESS

PALMERSTON NORTH’S STANDING A BUSY CENTRE. Prior to announcing at tlie Luncheon Club yesterday that authority had been given lor Palmerston North to bo constituted a chief post office, the secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department, Mr A. T. Markman, briefly alluded to the position of this centro from his point of view. There were, ho said, 212,0X1,000 letters and mail parcels posted in New Zealand in 1924 and of that total 1J per cent, were posted at the Palmerston North office. That was a very good record and indicative of the volume of business transacted in the town, when it was remembered that Palmerston North’s population was only about 1£ per cent, of the Dominion total. Mr Markinan cited the following statistics regarding mail matter handled at Palmerston North during each decade since 1894: Year ' Letters and Cither Grand Letter-cards Matter Total 1894 601,000 354 000 955,000 1904 1,055,000 588 000 1,643,000 1914 t 1,912,000 1,184 000 3,096,000 1924 2,436,000 1,366 800 3,802,800 TELEGRAMS SENT LOCALLY. He cited the following figures about the telegrams despatched locally at periods during the past quarter of a century: 1899 42,000 1904 86,000 1914 134,000 The comparatively small increase of 1000 in the last ten years, m id Mr Markman, was due to the greatly extended use of the toll telephone system. THE TOLL CALLS. The toll calls at Palmerston had increased by the reinarkablo figure of 100,000 in the past ten years, the following periods being quoted to demonstrate the trend of business: 2899 231 1904 14,300 1914 77,000 1924 177,000 TELEPHONE SUBSCRIBERS. At date, said Mr Markman, there were over 2000 telephone subscribers in Palmerston North, and the steady increase in this direction was illustrated by the following figures : 1892 74 1887 79 1904 328 1914 880 1924 2000 The increase in the number of Dominion subscribers, he stated, was 12,000 last year. ADVICE TO MR NASH. The text of the letter handed to Mr J. A. Ndfeh, M.P., yesterday, by Mr Murkinon, and which convoyed ihe news that Palmerston North was declared a chief post office, is as follows:—‘ln regard to your desire that the Palmsrslon North Post Office be constituted a chief post office and my letter to you of August 21 last, stating that the department was not in favour of granting the improved status asked for, I have pleasure in informing you that the matter has been reconsidered and that it has now been decided to create, as soon as the necessary arrmgements can bo made, a Palmerston No-th postal district with Palmerston Nortf as the Chief Post Office. The new district will radiate from Palmerston North to Manakau inclusive in the south, to Bulls and Greatford inclusive in the north, thence up the east bank of the Rangitikei river to Ruahine inclusive, to Dannevirko inclusive on the Napier line, to Pahiatua .nelusivo from the northern end of the Wairarapa line.” The communication is i.igned by the Hon. J. G. Coates, Postmaster-General.