POST OFFICE EXTENSION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9113, 19 December 1907, Page 3

POST OFFICE EXTENSION.

THE PARCELS BRANCH. The chief postmaster. Mr Stevens, to-day showed a " Star • reporter oyer the new parcels post office that is being fitted up to cope with the eveivgrowing demands of the service. The new office, which will be opened to-morrow, is situated in a building in Hereford Street, next to the. Tourist Office, a»d lately occupied by Messrs A. C. Not-' tingham and Co. Contrasted witli the cramped and unsatisfactory quarters in . which parcels are dealt with in the General Post Office, the new office is a veritable model of comfort and " handiness." The potrtion of the old office given over to parcels is shut up in a corner, where the sorters and desppatchera are continually tripping over each otlier^ while the. congestion of parcels, especially at the busy holiday seasoir, is sopietimes appalling. Tlie racks into which the parcels are sorted are far too small, and the room for Customs examination is a mere box. The new office lias been lavishly fitted with racks, beside which those now in use are mere pigeon-holes. There is a fine long counter for the publio, and the facilities foir receipt and delivery of parcels are excellent. Two sti*ong^rpoms are provided for the safe storage of valuables, and every attention has been paid throughout to the easy and rapid working of thp staff. The room fox examination of parcels is large, airy and well-lighted, and the whole building has been renovated and fitted up -afresh. The building is perfectly sound,' and though ( Mr Stevens says that the Departmeut will soon have to build right through frgm th© Squarp to Herefo-pd Street he hopes that when the public are ueed f to^ the new arrangement the parcels post department will be worked witn mnph greater facility. Incidentally hp said that the department handles an average of 1000 parpqels a day, and notr one in 50,000 goes astray. ~ As .jhowihg the ' rapid increase in postal work, the local office has decided to make five deliveries a day in the business portion of the city, instead of three as heretofore. There are fortysix letter-carriers, kppt busy" by four sorter's, and the letter branch is wording continuously day anc} night, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.