POST OFFICE ARRANGEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16667, 12 April 1916, Page 3

POST OFFICE ARRANGEMENTS

SHIFTING TO THE GARRISON lIALL. After the evening preceding Good Friday the present Dunedin Post Olllco will cease to exist as a post office. On that dato work will bo oomrnonced to shift, tho sittings from the old building to tho Garrison Hull in rc.ulincss for the continuation, of mail business on tho Saturday morning, and of money order business on the Tuesday morning. Only the post office department will be shifted in the meantime; tho land, pensions, deeds, and l registrar's offices remaining where they aro until tho polico 1 employees remove from their building to the gaol building. When that removal is effected UlO departments mentioned will transfer their offices to tho vacated polico station. It is not expected that tho new post office, which will be erected 011 the site of tho old building at tho corner of. Princcs street and Liverpool street, will bo completed till tho expiry of four years at the earliest. Tho new building will have a very ornato appearance, and the amount set down on the Estimates for its cost is £40,000. Tho pulling down of the old post office and tho putting in of now foundations is oxpected to occupy over 12 months, and the alterations to tho polico station, to enable the departments left in tho post offieo to secure accommodation there, will also occupy several months. It should be made clear that the new post office will only be required for the post office and telegraph people. As stated, ccrtain other departments Will be housed in tho polico station, and other Government offices, which are at present oocupying rented 1 premises, such as tho Stamps, Stato Fire, Stato Coal, Valuation, and Agricultural Departments, will probably bo transferred to tho prepent telegraph offices, when that department has been shifted to tho new post office. It is worthy of mention that during the coming Easter holidays the money-order branch will be closed for the first time- on record from the Thursday night till the Tuesday morning. Another matter of interest is that at tho present time there are 110 less than eight "acting" officials employed in, tho local post office. The alterations to the Garrison Hall may bo summarised as follows: —Tho front portion of tho main hall will be used for registration and stamps and for tho delivery of letters addressed care of the post office; at the back will be tho mail room; under tho gallery, on the Princes street side, the letter boxes will be situated; the band room upstairs will also bo given over to letter sorting; the gallery itself—from which most of tho seats have been removed—will be. required for the use of the letter carriers; the rooms at the back of tho stage are set aside as retiring rooms, etc. The old gun room, on tho basement, adjacent to tho Daily Times building, has been arranged for tho parcels' branch, and the basement, in which the miniature rifle shooting took place, is set aside a 6 a hamper room. The old orderly room in the annexe, on tho second storey, will be tho money order department. Entranca to this department is tip tho main stairs. Tho postmaster and assistant postmaster will be accommodated in the nori-commissioned officers' room and officers' club room respectively.