AUCKLAND POST OFFICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13499, 28 May 1907, Page 5

AUCKLAND POST OFFICE.

PROVISION FOR EXTENSION NECESSARY, '

STATEMENT BY THE INSPECTOR. 1 A representative of the Heeald called upon 'Mr. D. Gumming, Inspector of Post Offices, yesterday with reference to the accommondation for staff and public at the Auckland Post Office. Mr. Cumming would not admit for one moment that the Auckland Post Office was inferior , to. that of Wellington. "In the future," he said, "provision for, extension will have to be made in Auckland, and I'm hoping that we shall be able to procure accommodation outside for the parcels branch, which has grown to dimensions far beyond our anticipations but the accommodation for the staff in Auckland is twice as large as that of Wellington, where the business [ handling of mail matter—is certainly very much greater than it is in Auckland."

It was pointed out to Mr. Cumming that the congestion on certain days ; and at certain times of the day ';, was very • great at the public counter of the post office and at the counter of the Savings Bank and money order offices, but Mr. Cumming was not prepared to admit that it was greater than at the counters of banks or shipping offices, or similar private institutions transacting public business. "I have been kept waiting from twenty minutes to half an hour at banks and shipping offices," he [said; "and no one is ever kept waiting more than from'.five to seven minutes at ■ our offices. Moreover, the first that comes is served, and no distinction is made, be he Prime Minister or workingman."

Mr. Cumming was reminded that so far as the counter was concerned there was no complaint to make, that, indeed, visitors from overseas had remarked upon the courtesy and efficiency of the staffs of post offices who came into direct contact with the public, while at the same time such visitors withheld admiration from the post office itself as a building, taking into consideration the size and importance of Auckland. ■ : '

Then Mr. Cumming took a walk through the offices on the ';f|r«t. floor—-offices which, after three and a-quarter years as Chief Postmaster at Auckland, he knows very well. : \■;'..■--'.:•■.. " -■.■ '

v' "You see," he said, "they are well | lighted and well ventilated, excepting this little room"it was the dead letter office, latI at the end of the corridor where the private boxes are. It was a very small room,j and had to be lighted by a couple of gas I I jets. "The rest of the offices," he said,l [" meet all our immediate requirements. I [The Christchurch office had to be improvj ed, but, then, before that it was the worst | office of those 'of the four chief cities of | the colony." Mr. dimming intimated that it might become necessary to devote the whole of the first floor to public business, and place the different departments— | sorting, money order, telegraphs and telephone departments different floors, making the present post office a seven-floor building but nothing definite could be said about that at present. In the meantime, the first ; thing to., be done was to provide temporary accommodation for the parcels post department.

Mr. Holdsvvorth, Chief Postmaster, who was present at the interview, observed that four new assistants for the public office had been put on during the past ten days, j He supported Mr. Gumming that the Department had never withheld any extra assistance to Auckland on being shown that I such was necessary. ■ \