REMINDER OF ’QUAKE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 142, 18 June 1932, Page 7

REMINDER OF ’QUAKE

NEW WESTPORT POST OFFICE OPENED BY MR. HOLLAND [ Per Press Association.] WESTPORT, June 17. In the presence of a large assemblage of the general public, including the Municipal Band and children from the schools, Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P., Leader of tho Opposition, officially opened Westport’s new Post Office, a handsome structure replacing the building which, three years ago to day, was destroyed by the ’quakeIn the course of an intellectual and historical review of Post and Telegraph activities, Mr. Holland referred to Sir Joseph Ward as probably tho greatest of al] our Postmaster-Gen-erals. Becoming Postmaster-General in December, 1899, Sir Joseph established penny postage for the Dominion in January, 1901. He had then car ried his scheme for universal penny postage to the Postal Union Congress at Romo but without immediate success. Penny postage was abandoned here in the war years but re-establish-ed in 1923. It was again abandoned recently but the experiment was found to bo a losing proposition and a return had once again been made to penny postage. • Speeches were also made by the Mayor (Mr. J. IT. Harkness), the Hon. ,W. H. Mclntyre, Mr. J. Niven (county chairman), Mr. J. H. Enright (chairman of tho Buller Progress League) and Mr. D. Ryan (chairman of the Westport Chamber of Commerce). Reference was made by speakers to the regrettable inability of a Minister of the Crown to attend. Mr. Holland was presented by the contractor, Mr. G. H. Bull, Christchurch, with a beautiful inscribed key made of Buller gold to open officially the handsome, well-appointed building.