THE LOCAL POST OFFICE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3821, 14 October 1936, Page 5

THE LOCAL POST OFFICE

CONGESTION OF BUSINESS. When members of the business community foregather it is quite natural that discussion turns to the conditions obtaining at the local post office and the ever present need for improvements. The long promised ad ditions and alterations to the building are recognised as the' prime cause ol the trouble, it being recognised that it is physically impossible to meet with the growing volume of business under present conditions. Thus, while absolving all members of the local post and telegraph office—from the postmaster to the newest telegraph messenger—from blame, there is general agreement in condemning the de partmental heads and the Minister himself for not expediting the provis ion of the new building, and it is recalled that the Minister announced last February that plans for the additions and alterations were practically completed and tenders for the work would be invited “in the course of a few weeks.”

The local Chamber of Commerce, at last nigth's meeting, discussed some aspects of the situation. Referring to the post office additions, the chairman said it was gratifying to learn that tenders have already been called for portion of the new work, and also that a better tele phone service was being provided for. To questions, Mr Pascoe said he be lieved two separate tenders would be let. The first had to be completed before the second was commenced, for the latter involved demolishing portion of the present building. Mr Pascoe said it was not intended to install an automatic telephone system, but that the new installation would be considerably better than the present one. The proportion of country subscribers to town subscribers was about fifty-fifty. He added that the dial system could not be used for the country subscribers.

As to the re-erection of the town clock (now on the post office), Mr Jourdain said the Borough Council would confer with the Chamber's representatives in the matter of a site as soon as a reply was received from the Justice Department relative to tlie inquiry for a portion of the police station section.

Reference was made to the congestion of business at the local post office, and the bad conditions under which the staff have to work.

Several members expressed sincere sympathy with the postal staff, who have arduous duties and are conscientious and obliging under extreme difficulties.

Comment was made at this stage that the mail usually sorted into the postal boxes is almost invariably late on Saturday mornings, and it was suggested that the morning papers from Auckland are the cause, for the early morning trains from Auckland ■ —which, by the way, is the fastest in the Dominion —-is heavily subsidised by the newspaper interests, and mall carriage is apparently only a subsidiary.