FEILDING'S POSTAL FACILITIES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 728, 29 January 1910, Page 12

FEILDING'S POSTAL FACILITIES.

In the course of a very interesting article for the Feilding Chamber of Commerce, by Mr.:.T. H. Mills, the following reference was made regarding Feildirig's

postal facilities r~No; mpre impressive facts regarding the importance, .of the . settlements «of which Feilding isVthe hub could be presented than.those to be found in the postal.records. Even residents in. our own town, arid "district will be surprised to learn how far-reaching are the deliveries of the postal services radiating from'thb Feilding office. The details haveboon furnislwd'by the postmaster (Mr. C. C.-Hallidw). No fewer than 708 mails, are dealt with weekly .in the , Feilding; mail;room; and, besides three daily deliveries in the; town, deliveries, by a riionntod carrier along the Aorangi settle-

inent. and - Feilding. suburbs, .there' are' rural.-; deliveries ■in / the .-. but districts, covering .the Pakihikura Block in :,Wai-, 'tuna -West/.the Marton Block beyond,the Apiti, the, Harbour.Board Block;and Te' Awn-ih/.tho'/Cplyton. district, even -uritb White; Bridge .iri-the'>R'arigiwahia district —representing 125/ : . miles •'/' of;., cbuntry' traversed.: Visiters to the town-'are always struck! by .tho. number'' /of;:- mail, cpaches grpuped picturesquely in front of the pest pfßco daily,'.presenting; a ' scene familiar .in England many/:years, ago, It is', surprising to learn that the, coach services from Feilding cover about 1620 miles weekly. Feilding has all tho modern conveniences—postal, telegraphic, . telephonic;, and.in .its .conuntry. districts .there are thirty .offices that are telephone bureaux andpost offices ccmbined; a:rcund dbzen aro money order and savings bank offices; there are.-telephone; exbhanges at Cheltenham, ICiwitea, Kimbolton, Apiti, Rbngb-'; tea, '/arid ' Sandon,' /comprising .42 - subscribers'. In Feilding. itself there are 205 telephone and;.thero' are 28 private telephone wires in /the; district:. Tho latest, returns 'available, for a year's, transactions shdw. ;that during , hvelye. months 2929 money order's were issued in the,Feilding office:for a total/of £13,483; whilst the sum of '£7123 was paid,out,on . 1896 orders. The number of savings bank deposits was,-,3105, covering £46,949,, 1563 withdrawals covered a;.total of '£36,618, 394 : new'accounts ,werb epened and ,162. closed. /During last year, no fewer than 5851 parcels came through" the post for delivery, in Feilding. Who can foretell such a 'district's possibilities?. ... .';.■/'.