THE NEW POST OFFICE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3938, 11 August 1937, Page 6

THE NEW POST OFFICE

WORK PROCEEDING SATISFACTORILY. SOME PORTIONS COMPLETED. The contractors, Messrs Lovell and Rawlinson, are making good progress with the alterations and additions to the new post office, and already some of the buildings have been complete 1 and handed over to the Post and Telegraph Department for use, and occupation. The first job tackled was the erection of a garage and lineman’s store, and these have been handed over. The garage is well equinped, with the handy sliding panel doors, to give a maximum of space within the building, and it is of such dimensions—4o ft. by 28 ft. —that all vehicles can be safely housed. The lineman's quarters include an office, toolshed, store and workshop, all laid cut to ensure good workmanship and efficient handling of apparatus.

Another building completed is the telenhone bureau, a commodious place to house the intricate equipment for the telephone service, and large enough for the continued growth of this department over many years to come. We learn that the apparatus is already in the telephone room, but that it has not yet been connected up. This can be expected in a very short time now. and when completed it is confidently expected to afford a facility that will excel all other manual telephone exchanges in the Dominion. All the latest improvements have been incorporated, and as the room will l.c centrally heated—in fact, there will be central heating throughout the post office—it will enable efficient service to be given with a minimum of discomfort to the operators.

At present the contractors’ large staff is busily engaged excavating for the large basement that will house the boiler, etc., for the heating apparatus. Daily there are interested spectators, watching the progress of work, and as the task proceeds an idea of the extent of the enlarged premises can readily be obtained. The frontage in Sloane Street extends right to the boundary of Mr Middlebrook’s property, and along the private right-of-way from Alexandra Street, right to the back of the telephone exchange room. The right-of-way, of course, is for mail vehicles also, and we gather that tho entrance from Alexandra Street will be barred by high wrought iron gates, which will be closed eaih night.

A provision that is sure to prove of service is a small cabinet let in to the mailroom doorway from the right-of-way for the convenience of the publi? desiring to make a toll call alter ordinary office hours. Access for these people will be from Alexandra Street, along the right-of-way, an 1 a smaller wrought-iron gate is provided for this purnose. It may be added that the foundations for the old clock tower had to be removed, and it was, according to those whe are competent to express an opinion, just as difficult to remove the foundations as it was to dismantle the clock tower. The work had been done a quarter of a century ago by good workmen using good-quality material. and the cement had set so solidly that it required a good deal of ingenuity to remove the solid blocks. However, that work has been completed, and th enew frontage, set back from the present building line by 14 ft., to provide for a new fcotpath and widen the present road by 14 ft., is now taking shape. The work as it proceeds is full of interest, and unfailingly attracts a good deal of public interest.