PRESENTATION AT TEMUKA.

Timaru Herald, Volume CIV, Issue 15980, 5 June 1916, Page 3

PRESENTATION AT TEMUKA.

TO MR. A. ROBERTS. PROGRESS OF POSTAL SERVICES. Mr A. Roberts who has been PostMaster at Tetuuka for a little ever five years and has received notice of his Ue " in , Eton senior clerk m th e Telegraph Department was entertained a* a representative gatheri?nn°T S a at th ® Corona/ ?!r 4 /?? OJ \ Thursday evening. Mr A. Fiew (Mayor) presided. Tho Mayor said Mr Roberts had proved hunselt a competent and courteous officer ever ready to {rive anv information sought from him as a postmaster, and to all he had been most Considerate and. ob-ligiacr, t> ¥ r P" . B " Muir, a school fellow of Mr Roberts in Dunedm, spoke highly of him, Jwih as an officer and in private ^ or l a ke en interest in his staft had found liim ™ocd tonnsdlon a Syi,lpatllet, " Q

op A C - manager for the' b.C... Tanners Agency, Mr E. Roach chief clerk at the Post Office; Mr Methven headmaster of the school and Aiv \r ;. s P solic.tor, followed. Mr Methven and Mr Aspinall specreferred to tlie improvement in tho telephone service, and the-latter stated that the number of subscribers Lad increased from 45 to 137 since Mr i lioberts took charge, and he attributed tpis to his good management. Ho was rue best postmaster they had ever had Mr• Aspmall then presented Mr Roberts \ a - r> w , e e . purse of sovereigns. • r in acknowledging the gift thanked the speakers for their kmd remarks. Ho realised that he was leaving good friends and well-wishers. In his official capacity he had striven to give business people and settlers the best that was in him, and thanks to his chief clerk and the nanv yount* men who had passed through'tile office lie had been able to g:ve a largo measure of satisfaction. The postal service was the peoples service, and all employed in it. from Sir Joseph Ward down shoidd and ho believed thev did, take a pride in their work. Mr Roberts mentioned lriany of the changes and improvements that had taken place in Temuka. Thero was now much better accommodation in tho public room than formerly. Tho telephone hours liad been extended from S o'clock to JO as a result of his efforts to obtain tho required number of subscribers. AYhen he came to Temuka, tho letter delivery was confined to tho Borough. Now they were del-ver-ing wfrh'n tho Borough and a. mile and a half beyond the Borough boundaries, tho present delivery including Epworth and the Maori Pali. He also referred to the delivery by tlio mail car which traversed ]QO~ miles each dav'. it was tho duty of a. Post-master to consider the interests of settlers and lie bad done his best in this connection. Ho felt rpariing with his Temuka friends verv keenly and would conclude by again thanking them for their bind words and gift.

Mr O. J. iiilt'.m. manager of the Bank of New Zealand At Temuka, endorsed the remarks of other speakers,, and on behalf of those present presented Miss Freda and Mr Leslie Koberts with a cheque for £3. Other shakers ivero -Messrs. A. R. Guild and J. Cambridge. Mr Guild said ho lived six miles from Temuka and received his "Herald" find letters every morning at. 7 o clock. A letter received from .Mrs J. Pvke, expressed the regret the Nat'ves felt a,:- losing; the good services of Mr Uoherts. Mr Roll, -.its li.-i't for Wellington i.-n Saturdu.v.