RURAL MAIL DELIVERY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 115, 1 June 1937, Page 6

RURAL MAIL DELIVERY

Direct Service From Hastings to Pakowhai & Haumoana INAUGURATI0N TO-DAY A separate ma/il delivery for Haumoana and Pakowhai, direct from Hastings, is being inaugurated to-day by the Hastings Post Office, thus bringing to fulfilment a service for which the Hastings Chamber of Coxn-mei-ce has been pressing for some time. In the past, letters posted in Hastilngs for Haumoana and Pakowhai and for places even four or five miles distant from Hastings were taken to Napier and then sent back from there, reaching their destination the following day. In the case of Raupare, Fernhill, and other places, the old system will still apply, for it is only Haumoana and Pakowhai that will benefit by the innovation, but it is hoped that it will be possible later to extend the new service to cover these pla&es. Letters posted in Hastings for Haumoana and Pakowhai too late to be sent by the new service will still be sent via Napier. The matter was raised by the Chamber of Commerce at its March meeting, when a request to have Hastings made' a chief post office was refusod by the department. In a letter received by the chamber at that time, the PostmasterGeneral, the Hon. F. Jones, explained that the greater portion of the rural area between Hastings and Napier was served by the Napier-Femhill mail delivery. Correspondence for Twyford, Fernhill and Pakowhai posted at Hastings throughout the day-reached Napier the same evening and was delivered the following morning. In the return direction correspondence colleeted at these places reaffied Hastings at 12.40 p.m, dn time to connect with the afternoon delivery by postmen. There was also a direct daily mail in each direction between Hastings and Fernhill, and. in the circumstances, Mr Jones considered the areas in question were reasonably well served. Continued representafxans were made by the chamber, and again at the April meeting.it was maintained that there was a loss of time occasioned by having the rural delivery controlled from Napier instead of through the Hastings post office.