NEW POST OFFICE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23829, 3 December 1940, Page 9

NEW POST OFFICE

HAMILTON BUILDING THE OFFICIAL OPENING FINE MODERN STRUCTURE [FROM OITR OWN CORRESPONDENT] HAMILTON, Monday Built at a cost of £70,000, the new Hamilton post office was opened to-day in brilliant sunshine by the PostmasterGeneral, the Hon. P. C. Webb, before a large gathering. The Mayor of Hamilton, .Mr. H. I). C'aro, presided, and the speakers included Mr. C. W. Pepporell, chairman of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce; Mr. C. A. Barrell, M.P. for the district; Mr. F. Findlay, and Sir Alexander Young. Others present included Mr. A. F. Moncur, M.P. for Botorua, and Mr. J. G. Young, Director-General of the Post and Telegraph Department. Mr. H. L. White, one of the architects. presented Mr. Webb with a combination barometer and thermometer finely finished in New Zealand woods. Worthy Memorial The Minister said the building represented the last word not only in modern architecture but also in accommodation for departmental purposes. As the chief post office for the Waikato, it ranked fifth in importanoe in New Zealand. He doubted if there was a finer post office of its size in the world. .Mr. Webb paid a tribute to • the architects, Messrs. Edgecumbe and White, and to the builders, W. B. Young, Limited, to both of whom the building stood as a monument to their skill and workmanship. He also praised the workmen employed on the job. Three now post offices had been completed this year, those at Hamilton, Wanganui and Invercargill. All would stand ns memorials to New Zealand's centennial. At the outbreak of war, Mr. Webb continued, the Government had planned to build just on 100 new post offices, all of which were needed. Large Volume of Business Mr. Webb recalled that a post office was first established in Hamilton by the militia in 1861. The district now served by the present building extended from Whangamarino in the north to National Park in the south, and included the Kotorua and Urewera districts. The area embraced was one of the richest in the Dominion, both from the point of view of productivity and historical associations. To emphasise the importance of the Hamilton office. Mr. Webb stated that the number of toll calls a year in Hamilton alone exceeded 1,000.000, and that more than 6,000,000 letters wore posted and over 5,000,000 were delivered last year. Savings hank deposits had grown from 1300 in 1904 to .11.000 in 1910 while telegrams handled had increased from 42,000 to 150,000 in the same period. After the building had been declared open, the public spent some time inspecting the interior. Operations wore commenced, and the old post office closed simultaneously. Many of the guests were entertained to afternoon During the afternoon the office did great business with those who desired to post letters and despatch telegrams on the opening day.