NEW POST OFFICE FOR DUNEDIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 643, 26 March 1864, Page 16

NEW POST OFFICE FOR DUNEDIN.

The design and plans for the new Post Office for Dunedin, prepared by Messrs Mason and Clayton, architects. Princesstreet, have been approved of by the General Government ; and we hope that many months will not pass before tho work of erecting it is commenced. To build a new Post Office, is simply to supply an urgent want ; and, having seen the plans, we can say confidently that the building will be the most handsome in New Zealand. But in connection with the preparations for this important work, a discovery has been made which is of greater and more general interest than will be this decided addition to our street architecture.

A first-rate building stone has been discovered. It is conveniently situated ; and those who are the most qualified to judge in the matter, express a positive conviction that, ere long, we shall cease to import building stone from Hobart Town, at a first cost of 6s per cube foot, and shall be exporting largely to the other Provinces of New Zealand, if not to the Australian Colonies. When Mr Mason was first consulted by the General Government as to the erection of a head Post Office for Otago, such as should be worthy of the Province, that gentleman was impressed with the importance of constructing it of stone quarried in the Province, if such a course could be made at all possible. He consequently communicated with the Provincial Government, who at once acted on his views, and invited, by advertisement in the " Gazette," and in other ways, the forwarding to the Geological Department of specimens of stone that seemed likely to be useful for building purposes, no matter iv what part of the Province they might be found. It was promised that analyses should be made of all such specimens, and that the analyses should be published. In reply to these invitations, numerous specimens have been sent in ; and, from time to time, we have re-pro-duced from the " Gazette," the bare technical results of the analyses. These, however, would not supply much information as to the practical value of the specimens, except to the initiated few. It is now over five months since a specimen stone was received from Mr. J. P. Hepburn, of Pleasant River, a little to the east of Waikouaiti. Dr. Hector has analysed this stone, and says that it is incomparably the best for building purposes which he has yet seen as the yield of this Province, and that it is equal in value to the best limestones of Europe. Dr. Knight, of Auckland, another very competent authority, to whom a sample was submitted by Mr. Mason, when he went North to attend to his duties as a member of the House of Representatives, expressed himself in the highest terms as to its value It ia of a light yellowish-grey colour, compact in texture, capable of being worked with the utmost delicacy for mouldings, &c, and polishing most satisfactorily. It s far superior to the Bath stone of the old country— harder, and yet easily workable; and it is said that, for all practical purposes, it is more valuable than anything we have yet imported from Hobart Town. The point at which the stone has -at present been opened up, is about six miles from the port of Waikouaiti, and on land belonging to Mr Hepburn. There, Mr Mason has seen a dyke of the stone, the wall of which is between 20ft and 25 ft high, the stone being, practically, without anything like a flaw. There is a good road between the spot and the port : and a rough estimate of the cost of getting the stone to Dunedin, stands thus :— Cartage to the port, 20s a ton ; freight to Dunedin, 15s : total, Ll 15s a ton. But there is reason to believe that no such cartage cost will have to be incurred — that tSe vein rum far down towards the coast even if it does hot extend to the port itself, as some residents, who have been " prospecting," declare to be the fact. MiMason proceeded to Pleasant River again on Saturday, to examine the neighborhood; and webeilpve that the Lady of the. Lake, on her v.jp from Waikouaiti on Saturday, brought down a large block of the stone, which will no doubt he carefully inspected by builders and others interested.

It is a settled fact that this Pleasant River stone is to be used in finishing the Post Office, not only ex-

tenorly, Imf al-o for the walls, &c, of the great cent! il lu"> which will be a notable feature o(>o (> tl.o :i w building. The erection of the P« ,- t Mfice being so important a work.it has Loeii resolved that tenderers for it shall be sought, not only in New Zealand, but also in Victoria and New South Wales ; and copies of the plans and specifications were forwarded by the Aldiwga, on Friday, to Melbourne and Sydney. The specification, of course, names the stone to which -we have referred. Mr Mason proposes that, as speedily as possible, samples shall be sent to each of the other Provinces. In the North, there is at present going on a very considerable importation of Bath stone, at a first cost of 3s 6d per cube foot ; and as there is no rea?on to doubt that, under the least advantageous circumstances, the Pleasant River stone, apart from its superior qualities, could be landed at Auckland at a considerably les3 cost than the Bath stone, there is every prospect of the former supplanting the latter, and a large export trade being created. We shall not need to trouble Hobart Town again, as we did for the stone for the new Custom-house, even ifwedo notbecoine rivals in the supply of other Colonies ; and the subject of this discovery is altogether so important, that it is sut c to he pursued to the utmost, w ith the view of opening up a new branch of industry.

The site for the Post Office is the plot o land adjoining the Custom House, at the junction of High street with Princes street. The front will be at an angle across the junction of the two fltreets, so as to bring the side in line with Water street, which street line will form the second pier of the intended Rattray street dock. The building will be so placed as to conform to the proposed widening of Princes street to 100 ft. In consequence of the nature of the ground, the foundation will have to be excavated ; but it is considered that this may be made a source of public profit as well as convenience. The walls of the basement storey will be of blue stone or Bluff granite. The interior supports will be cast iron pillars, bearing iron girders, upon which brick arches will be turned. There will thus be formed a perfectly fireproof building, in which there will be stowage room for a very great quantity of goods ; so that it is believed the storey would let at premium-rents for the purpose of a bonded store or stores. There \vill be included in the basement, rooms for porters, apartments for the hea ing apparatus ; and also a room into which the mail boxes and bags will be taken, before being lifted to the sorting room. The style of architecture chosen by Messrs Mason and Clayton is the Palladian, combining features of the Italian with the Grecian, and admitting of very free decoration. On plan, the building is 150 ft long, 130 ft wide, 47ft high to the top of the cornice, and 150 ft from the ground line to the top of the vane staff which will surmount a fine clock tower. The building will be of two storeys ; but for a width of 24ft across the front and along each side, the erection will only be carried to a height of 22ft, or that of the first storey. In the front, the 24ft will represent the width of a rusticated arcade, through which access will be gained to the central hall, and to some window boxes at the Water- street end of the arcade, at which letters may be posted at any hour of the night. On the side towards Water-street, the -24ft will represent half the width of the general sorting room, which will be most conveniently lighted from its roof ; while on the side next the Custom House, it will represent only the offices for the use of the Electric Telegraph Company, which will be a kind of corner pendant -to the facade, serving the very useful purpose of filling up the small plot of land adjoining the Custom House, which building would prevent the whole width of the facade being continued throughout the Post Office, owing to the angle at which the two will stand, and their close proximity. The ground storey along the fagade and the elevation towards Princes-street will be formed of rusticated pilasters, between which will be detached columns supporting semicircular arches, the spandrils being relieved with carved work, surmounted by a moulded cornice and balustrade. The upper storey will be Corinthian in character, and will be surmounted with a dentil and modillon cornice, the windows being divided by engaged columns. The tower will rise in line with the front of the arcade ; its second height being represented by eight Corinthian columns, bearing an enriched cornice. In the third height* the principal feature will be the caryatides clustered at each angle, and supporting an entablature. Above will be a four-dialed clock (intended to be illuminated), surrounded with a profusion of naturally-treated foliage. Then will come the bell turret, with louvre windows, and the vane as a finial.

We haye purposely confined the de scription of the exterior of the intended building to a few leading points. It will be enough to add that the ornamentation is free, without being lavish ; and that the

general effect of the building promises ta be eminently satisfactory. And now as to the interior. Passing through the arcade, from the front of the building, or through any of three doors at the back, where there will be a terrace in line with the great staircase, the visitor will find himself in a hall 80ft. by 40ft. and 50ft. high to the top of a fine lantern light. The hall will be finished in Pleasant River stone — the ground storey as an arcaded wall screen on each side ; the upper story as a balustraded corridor. Some of the richest ornamentation in the whole building will be found in the sides of the lantern light. It will be of perforated cast-iron work, and will be painted in colors From the great hall, there will be a passage on the left side which will give access to the offices, but for the employes only. So far as the public business of the departments to be named is concerned, it will be transacted at windows opening into the hall.- But the architectural' effect of the hall promises to be very f.ne, especially from its being throughout finished in stone. The departments on the ground floor will be thus arranged : — To the right from the principal entrance : Receipt of letters and newspapers, 24ft 6in by 20ft 6in, flanked by private-box office, 40ft 6in by 18ft, which will give ample space, for 400 boxes; sorting room, 63ft 6in by 39ft : inland despatch office, 20' ft by 20ft 6in ; foreign despatch office, 26ft by 16ft 6in. To the left :— Scamp office, 20ft 6in by 13ft 6in ; registration office, 15ft 6in by lift; enquiry office, 15ft 6in by 12ft ; dead letter office, 28ft by 20ft 6in ; carriers' department, 31ft 6in by 26ft. The great staircase will be at the back of the building, opposite the main entrance. It will be of stone, in the centre of a hall, 31ft by 30ft. Ascending it, the visitor will find himself in the corridor before-mentioned, out of which the following offices will be enterable :— To the right : Accountant's, 24ft by 20ft 6in ; accountant's clerks' offices, 25ft by 14ft and 19ft 6in by 14ft; private money office and public money order office. To the left, Inspector's office, 25ft by 20ft 6in ; clerks', 22ft by 14ft Bin ; secretary's, 29ft by 14ft Bin ; messengers' and landing lobbies ; and at the back, the office of the Chief Postmaster, 27ft by 23ft.

At tbe back of the building, and adjoining the terrace, there will be an inclined plane, down which the bags and boxes will be shot, on arrival, to a receiving room, underneath the sorting room ; and a hoist will be provided, to send up bag after bag or box after bpx, as may be demanded by the officer in chai-ge of the sorters. We think we have written enough to show that when the new Post Office ia completed, there will be effected a most convenient concentration of public departments ; that the intended building will be a credit to its designers, and a most decided ornament to the city ; and that the preliminaries for the building have resulted in a discovery, the opportuneness and value of which can scarcely be overrated. It i 3 a condition of the draft-contract, that the work shall be completed by the Ist December, 1865. The Provincial Government will be paymasters; it having been arranged that the money so paid shall be placed as to the credit of the contribution of the Province to the General Government Revenue.

It will be gathered from the description of the intended site, that the building in which the Town Board meets and the fire engines and apparatus are kept, will have to be swept away. It will be at least the end of June, we should think, before the contractor or contractors will want possession of the ground; but there will be little time enough for the Board to provide for itself a new official habitation, and the question of what is to be done should be discussed at the next meeting. Tenders for the Post Office are to be delivered at the office of the Secretary of Public Works, on or before the 18th May.

Fahmers', Library.— lt is of the highest importance that farmers possess reading habits, ana that they should bring up their children to a love of books. Every farmer should have a library; itmay, at first, be small; but itshouldbe select. As soon as a farmer is beforehand enough to own an acre, he is prosperous enough to begui a library. It is said by many, books will not make money ? Yes, they will. To be sure their best effect is the production of intelligence in the reader; but a man well-informed in his own business is just the man to make money. Who ever thought of making money by buying grindstones and whetstones ? But 'they sharpen the scythe, the sickle, and axe, and they produce money, books are grindstones aud whetstones for a man's mind.

Some time since, two young ladies near Newmarket fell into company with a gipsy, who, for a trifling sum, proposed showing them their future husbands' faces in a pail of water. The water being procured, they were desired to look. They did so ; when, discovering nothing strange, they exclaimed, ' We see only our own faces,'—' "Well ' replied the gipsy, 'those will be your husbands' faces, when you're married.'

A negro, at the point of death, was told by his minister that he must forgive a certain darkey against whom he seemed to entertain very bitter feelings. "Yes, sah,'> he replied, " if I dies, I iorgive dat niggar ; but if I gits well, dat niggar must take care."