THE POST OFFICE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 142, 20 May 1925, Page 6

THE POST OFFICE.

ITS WORK AND PROGRESS.

ADDRESS BY MR MARK MAN

There was a large gathering at the Luncheon Club yesterday afternooi when Mr A. T. Markinan, secretary to ‘ho Post and Telegraph Department, delivered a brief but highly interesting address on the various aspects of that State enter- • prise. , . . Mr G. I. McGregor presided and, in introducing Mr Markman, expressed the pleasure of the club at his atlandf nee 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 absence of Hon. J. G. Coates was the first action of the speaker on rising to address the gathering. “I am down to speak oil postal, telegraph and telephone matters,’’ said Mr Markman, adding that those, however, only very briefly embraced the activities of a department the. operations of which were so widespread, with branches in almost every hamlet in the Dominion. j Co-operation was an essential of the department, he said, and they had it front the top to the bottom, but it was required from the people, too. The public should be treated by the department as guests wheii they went there to transact business - and the public should treat the department as a host. Mr Markman 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. Most people had no idea how often letters were returned to the dead letter office through insufficient address, and he suggested thit business men shpuld, as a safeguard, have inscribed on their envelopes the placo ' 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 pf valuable missives. Mr Markman proceeded to allude to the circular system of reaching householders w hereby, according to a scale of fees, the circulars were delivered to every household without the sender having to address the envelopes. Tor £4OO a circular would be sent to every one of the 250,000 householders in New Zealand. Touching upon the night letter telegrum system and its ehcap ( 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 yeaf, and 90,000, or an increase of 245 per cent., in the next year, when the rate was reduced to 27 words for 9d. Last year 202,000 were despatched. There was a like cheap service tp Australia and elsewhere, lie stated, detailing the charges. The Tost Office Savings Bank had a und of £46,000,000, and he urged people :o take full advantage of its facilities. The speaker proceeded to allude to the improvement, which had been Drought about in the hours of operation of the exchange, but stated that in his opinion the service to midnight was in most cases as good as a true continuous serv.oefrom the point of view of business usage. On the last statistics prepared in connection with telephone work New Zealand was fourth in the world in point yf telephones per capita, while last y«ar the Dominion had made more progress in this direction' than any other country n 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 hav< taken third place after Canada, and in i.dvance of Denmark, while it was calculated that ultimately New Zealand would bo second only to the United States. (Appli.use.) In proposing a vote of thanks to Mr Murkmin for his address, Mr J. A Nash, M.P., said “that there had been n lot of business” irt it-—the department was out for business and that was what was required for the success of State-ow red institutions. He deemed it an excellent thing for official representatives of departments to meet the people and explain matters as Mr Markman had done so ably on the present occasion, furnishing much interesting information about his depart-' ment. DEPARTMENT SHOULD ADVERTISE. PttOceeding, Mr Nash stressed the point that the department could do a greit deal more by judicious advertising than 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 27 words could be sent for ninepence. “If yiou advertised in the presi you Would double your business,” said Mr Nash. It was pleasing to reflect, he continued, that there were now many young men in the Government services at the head of elepartments—energetic 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,” said Mr Nash, “are satisfied that the post and telegraph department is safe in the hands of' Mr Markman.” ~ Mr. J. H. Stevens also spoke, stating that Mr’ Markinan was a boy in the service, when the speaker was a young man in"the same department, and congratulated Mr Markman on his successful career. The vote of thanks was carried by acclamation.