HERETAUNGA POST OFFICE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 151, 15 March 1918, Page 6

HERETAUNGA POST OFFICE

STATEMENT BY SIR JOSEPH WAR©

It has becu publicly stated that the opening of the post and telegraph of» fice at Heretaunga is likely to inconvenience the settlers at Trentham and, Silverstream. Sir Joseph Ward, speaking to a representative of Tub Dominion yesterday, stated that that was not the case. Better and more frequent facilities than ever before provided wero to bo given in both places. It had possibly been overlooked that there would be an office at Trentham from which telegrams could bo sent, and that correspondence and telegram's for people at Trehtham or at Silverstream would be delivered twice daily at theresidence of the addressee. In the vicinity of Trentham' and Silverstream: there would be at least seven posting boxes, which would be cleared twicedaily by a departmental officer. Theseboxes would be placed in suitable localities, and wero practically receiving post offices. A careful perusal of the business transacted at Trentham showed the average number of money-oraers issued and paid daily was less than two, the savings-bank transactions wero less than two per dieru, and the telegrams forwarded were nine per diem.. A delivery of correspondence wmild be. made twice daily from Upr.c-r Hutt as far south as the main camp road, an'T also from Heretaunga from the main camp road to the last house on tho road leading to Stokes Valley. Briefly, then, the residents of the three districts would be served by an up-to-date post and telegraph officp, and would have their letters collected from the receiving boxes in the vicinity of their , homes and delivered at their homes, twice daily. All telegrams would bo promptly delivered on receipt, and. settlers would have the opportunity of connectina up with a telephone exchange, which would be suitably staffed. It would bo seen, Sir Joseph Ward said, that the service proposed was ft considerable improvement on that given at present, and" was rightly to bo carried out from the Heretaunga office-, which was on the same principle followed wherever possible—that of Heretaunga business radiating from tho central office to all parts of the district, and not from one end of it. People now had to go to the post office to post their letters and to receive 1 them, and had to depend on any labmir avni'oWo for the delivery of telegrams. Under the new arrangement a permanent' and up-to-date service similar to tlwt given in the towns would be available.