PAHIATUA POST OFFICE

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9978, 8 July 1925, Page 5

PAHIATUA POST OFFICE

* : DEPUTATION TO MINISTER A >

OFFICIAL TO INSPECT SITES

Tlie President of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr P. Tulloch) reported to the meeting last evening the results of the deputation which recently wivited upon the PostmasterGeneral (Sir C. J. Parr) in Wellington, with a request for a new Post Office in a central site.

The deputation, he stated, had received quite a good hearing. The Minister had said nothing could be clone this year, hut perhaps something would be done in 1926. The cost of the proposed new Post Office would be about £14,000. The Department was sending Mr Markman (secretary of Post Offices) to Pahiatna shortly to inspect proposed sites, which, the speaker considered, was a healthy sign. More urgent, however, were new offices which had to be erected at Dunedin and Napier, after which Paliiatua, in all probability, would be dealt with.

The meeting considered the report very satisfactory. " BALLANCE TELEPHONE.

The president, also reported on the linking up of Ballanee with Pahiatua by ’phone. Sixteen settlers, he said, had already linked up with Pahiatua, there being two party lines, and more would join up later on, which was quite satisfactory. It was thought by the President that within a fortnight there would he 35 to 40 more subscribers connected with the Pahiatua exchange, whose tally now was 470 subscribers. DIRECT LINKING WITH MAKER I. A proposal was on foot also to have Makuri linked up direct with Pahiatua and thus dispense with the exchange in that township. The settlers spoken to had been keen on the question. The position now was that the exchange there was open from 9 am. to 5 p.m., and closed at midday, so that really the ’phone was very little good to settlers. If they desired to use the 'phone before or after hours, an opening fee had to be paid. Twenty two settlers were connected in that district, and for the benefit of these, as well as the business people in Pahiatua, it would be a very good thing to get direct communication. The matter would have to he pushed on. The president, and Messrs S. T. Tinney and Dr H. Paterson. together with the local Postmaster .(Mr G. Kilvington) were appointed a committee to interview the settlers at Makuri. P.O. SAVINGS BANK ACCOUNTS Mr J. J. Boagey said he thought strong objection should be taken to the change over of the head office of the local Post Office Savings Accounts from Wellington to Palmerston North. This change was going to prove very inconvenient. Wellington was the business centre for Pahiatua, and not Palmerston. Under the new scheme, when a local resident was in Wellington, on holiday or the like, he was unable to draw out money there as he required it, but had to go to the bother and expense of wiring to Palmerston North. The secretary; “They will be making us a suburb of Palmerston North soon.” Mr L. T. Herbert: “It's all ■working that way.” The president agreed that the change was going to cause a great •deal of inconvenience to Pahiatua people, and on his suggestion it was agreed to bring the matter before the secretary of Post Offices (Mr Markman) on his visit to the district. PENNY IN THE SLOT. It was remarked that the erection of the penny-in-the-slot telephone booth in the' square was very slow in getting under way, the president explaining that the delay was with the Department.