OPENING OF THE PARNELL POST OFFICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13148, 10 April 1906, Page 3

OPENING OF THE PARNELL POST OFFICE.

SPEECH BY THE HON. A. PITT. INCREASE OF POST AND TELEGRAPH BUSINESS. The ceremony of declaring the new brick post office at Parnell open for public business was performed yesterday afternoon by the Hon. A. Pitt, Attorney-General, and Acting-Postmaster-General. In October of last year the tablet in the wall, then in course of erection, was placed in position by Sir Joseph Ward, and the building is now ready for occupation. The Minister was met at the building and welcomed by Mr. J. Fitt (Mayor of Parnell) and Mr. F. Lawry. M.H.E. Amongst others present were: Sir G. 'M. O'Rorke, the Hon*. Major Harris, T. Thompson, and W. J. Beehan, M's.L.C, Messrs. A. Kidd, F. E. Baume, and C. H. Poole, M's.H.R., Mr. D. Gumming (chief postmaster), and Mr. H. 0. Seager (Telegraph Department). . THE ..MAYOR'S REMARKS. Mr. Fitt expressed the welcome of the people of Parnell to the Minister, and went on to say it was the first occasion upon which a public building had been opened in Parnell by a Minister of the Crown. For a long time the borough had been waiting for a building such as the new post office, and although, lie (the speaker) had heard some opinions expressed about the architecture and the painting. The building was certainly of a very substantial character, and a credit to the builder, Mr. Matheson. In it were all the conveniences of an up-to-date post office. He (the speaker) congratulated the Government upon the completion of the post office, and expressed the thanks of the borough for the erection of a building in keeping with the importance of the borough. Since the old post office was opened in Russell-street, the present postmistress had been in charge, and she was most fitted for the same position in the new office. (Applause.) He did not know whether it was the Department's intention, but he hoped it would see its way to instal her as postmistress in the new offices. (Applause.) THE MINISTER'S SPEECH.

The Hon. A. Pitt, who was received with applause, said it was with great pleasure that he stood there in his official capacity of Acting-Postmaster-General to open the new post office. Mr. Lawry had been asking the Government for the post office for some considerable time, but was unable to . get the building started, 'not from any disinclination on the part of the Government to find the funds, but because of the question of site. However, that question was evidently satisfactorily answered now. (Hear, hear.) Upon the occasion of the placing of the tablet, Mr. Lawry was interrupted by a listener.. In those interruptions the good faith of tho Government was questioned as to the intention to duplicate the Penrose line, and as to tho more vigorous prosecution of the Main Trunk line works. Time had answered those questions, and the duplication of the Penrose line was in course of construction, and the Government was putting all the hands it could on the construction of the Main Trunk line. (Applause.) The value of business done through the various post offices of the colony gave a very reliable index of the growth of prosperity. (Applause.) The Auckland district, having regard to the number of post offices within its boundaries, was the largest in the colony. It was satisfactory to note that the progress of the postal and telegraph business at Parneli, and in the Auckland district, was being fully maintained. (Applause.) There was, however, so little conception of the enormoHS expansion of the business of the Department throughout the colony during the last few years, that some statistics, showing the increase of business from 1900 to 1905, would be of interest. Speaking in round numbers, the revenue of the Post and Telegraph Department had increased from £500,000. to £672,000, an increase -of over 34 per cent. In the same time-letters had increased from 40,000,000 to 70,000,000, an increase of 76 per "cent. As 1900 was the year preceding the introduction of the penny post in New Zealand, these figures indicated in a striking way the extent to which this reform had- been appreciated. Books and parcels had increased in the same period from .16,000,000 to 22,000,000, ami newspapers from 12,000.000 to 17,000,000, ' showing, an increase respectively of 33 per cent, and 40 per cent. The money order business had increased by 25 per cent., from £1,214,852 to £1,541,711, and the postal note business by 78 per cent. Paid telegrams had increased by nearly 52 per cent., from 3£ millions to 5J millions, and the value of paid messages had increased bv 45' per cent., from £122,423 to £177,498. While it was. easy to speak of millions of letters handled, it was difficult to realise that-the total number of telegraph transactions, including telegrams of all codes, and-those handled at transmitting stations, last vear reached all but 20,000,000. This enormous number was an increase of about s£. millions over that of 1900. Of all • branches of the service the •• telephone exchanges, however,' showed j the greatest increase. The number of connections in 1900 was 7920, while last year it had risen to 14,721, an increase of nearly 86 per, cent. Those figures would assist to show the prosperity of the colony. During the past 10 years 44 post and telegraph offices, had been," or were being, built or enlarged' in brick, at' a total cost of about £120.000. Of these- 26 were erected in the- North Is-

land, at a cost of £70,000, and 18 in the South Islamd, at a cost of £50,000. In addi-

tion to these brick buildings, a large number of small offices had been erected in wood

in both islands. (Applause.) Sir Joseph Ward had gone to the Postal Conference fired with the hope of being able to persuade many of the countries represented at the Conference whose people had not yet adopted penny postage to do so. (Applause.) It was unfortunate that the postal authorities of Australia, where there were over six mil-

lion people, could not see their way to adopt the penny postage, while New Zealand, with 800.000 of a population, had done so. (Applause.) In conclusion; he (the speaker) wished continued prosperity to the people of Parnell. (Applause.) He trusted the post office might serve the best interests of the people, and that it would be always remembered as one of the good things Mr. La/wry secured for the district. (Applause.) OTHER SPEECHES. Mr. P. Lawry, M.H.R., who was received with loud applause, said the creating of facilities, for expansion of business caused the expansion to take place. . He joined with the Mayor in hoping that the postmistress who was in charge of the old office would be installed in charge of the new one. (Applause.) He had been agitating for some time for a police station, for the borough, and had been met with the argument by the Minister for Justice, " What do you want a police station in Parnell for? It's the only place in New Zealand where there is no crime." (Laughter.) He (Mr. Lawry) was assured by the Minister for Justice that there were fewer summonses issued in Parnell than in any other borough in New Zealand in proportion to the population. While that was a compliment to the borough, still it urgently required a proper police station. (Applause.) Mr. F. E. Baume," M.H.R., said there could not be too many facilities for the transaction of post and telegraph business, and in giving Parnell the new post office the Government had only been doing Parnell bare justice. (Applause.) Mr. A. Kidd and Mr. C. H. Poole, M's.H.R., also briefly addressed those present, congratulating the borough upon the new post office, and the latter mentioned that the Pon.sonby district urgently required a- similar building. The Minister, amidst cheers, then opened the doors, and declared the building open for the transaction of public business. The action was greeted by.cheering from thoseassembled, and afterwards the public were allowed to enter and inspect the building.