SEVENTY YEAR AGO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15169, 7 December 1912, Page 8

SEVENTY YEAR AGO.

■ i i • » , •■•• v;rv ' L' 7'l ■*' • ' ■."■':':.■ :->•' : '*sSß| AUCKLAND'S POSTAL . . . • ;•': ■ ':"«#, A RECORD OF OLD MK^ ■ ■ ■'• - : ''"— .^"^wp'i Now that Auckland'* post office has been opened ;aaj«i»'jj'..: thorough working order, it is interei&|ti> compare the present postal city with those of the early da^?}pj|JJ In the Anckland Museum is an script, dated August Is, 1841, ;asil-4feid|[ by James Dilworth* the than 'J master, on the occasion of his Tewtta}; in favour of Thomas R, :sudocument is an inventory of all ttoiufrpi' and contents of the poet office atiZra& ' In 1841 (.he post office waVeitowrftili the west side of what-is ■>!&■ss&>: street, a little below the Bite of tteMrtwi I Northern Club. Very shortly affersiii,. | however, it was moved into" HigfcwwJv-' That the staff employed. kjfew&l! was not large'may be gauged from i&ifiw that two inkstands, four and 'W«f*', bottles of ink, one ruler, and onfe'JMof,' indiarubber were deemed auffidsfisipsi on the work. " Three 'jtrirea $ y JQSjw®. paper, 150 quill pens, -; wtd 21b #»»*&s> wax were also handed, over to %■?*»" postmaster. ■■ '■-.. '■■■ ; ." ; .i'»':' '■'■} ■,:vt ; "SjEfFr# • The fittings in 1841 were not «rips«a.< the same manuscript listing than $#*'■'! sisting of only one table and a s 'w|®v»»| set of pigeon-holes, and ■ three The number of pigeon-holes in4Jjp»': office at the present time is '&s<ssss* computation. '~ ■■>'t^t, The correspondence dealt wha?ij«Bg' early days of Auckland probablyW#*' keep the staff very : hard at Wfljr^vJw*'■ were but five register»book> o& ! wKrt' ■ ceived and was filled. The office possessed <#,ff f stamp and 19 mailbags. ■. }, m i, Particulars as to the number MR] awaiting the mail to Fort : j also given. ,■■" : There' were six: four paid ; and 11 , unpaid lettet*j?J»S' gistared packets, three pajtoiijß; dition was the f#?# i of 150 newspapers. ' Something ap|«*P>" ing 100,000 postal packets . spatched to Wellington in one -WWSMI In 1841, the year! after the ; M§j[r was hoisted in the Bay of IslaJkjMP?population of Auckland 'was wett>fl}p 1000. At that time bank or postal-note . business .fjpst* '■] post office. ~' u «- ' ' =============== ™|*\