EXTENSION OF SERVICES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18991, 16 April 1936, Page 5

EXTENSION OF SERVICES

POST AND TELEGRAPH PLANS FOR DOMINION (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Additional post office and telegraph facilities are likely to be provided all over New Zealand during the next few veal's as a result of the planned departmental programme which was discussed briefly yesterday by the Post-master-General, the Hon. F. Jones. The Minister confirmed the statement made last week by the Prime Minister, • the Hon. M. J. Savage, that there was .something over' £1,000,000 available for ■post and telegraph buildings, but stated 'that the complete programme had not yet received final approval from the Cabinet. "We have a complete schedule pf works covering the whole of the Dominion," Mr. Jones said, "and the cost will probably be well over £I,OCO,COO. We- want to get the plans prepared and io arrange the whole programme of works in order of priority. ?•■ "In this latter respect, we hope to coordinate our building plans with those of other Government departments. It would be obviously unwise if we were to initiate a large building programme in one centre, when another department was similarly engaged in that same centre. Such a course could lead only to competition for labour and materials., and that would .naturally have an effect on the costs.." Mr. Jones added that he hoped before long to Lave a programme mapped out "to cover the building requirements for his department for the next four or five years. In addition to postal facilities, telephone exchanges linking up with the main metropolitan systems were urgently heeded in several districts.