POSTAL FINANCE

Hokitika Guardian, 4 September 1931, Page 3

POSTAL FINANCE

EARTHQUAKE LOSSES. MAIL AND STAFF SAVINGS. WELLINGTON, Sept. 2. The annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department shows that the revenue collected exceeded that of the previous year by £65,800 being a tota of £3.107,420. Thi s enabled £400,000 to lie invest, d for replacement of exist ing assets and left £2772 to be canoed forward. The Department’s strong financial position enabled it to me t the whole cost of replacement of the Hawkes Bay earthquake damage from the reserve and depreciation funds The capital loss of the- Department is estimated at not les s than £175.00). The capital value of telegraph and tGephone equipment total y destroyed w. s £52,000, while the cost of restoring telephone and telegraph equ pmefit partially destroyed will, in all probability, reach £25.000. The cost of reconditioning Napier chief post office building, replacing the damaged portion of the Hasting building, erecting a new post office building at Port A burin and repairing damage to other bui’dings, is estimated at £50,000. The Department was also involved in expenditure or loss in numerous other ways, such as the destruction or abandonment of other buildings and, property and provision, for temporary accommodation for staff. NO MORE CLOCK TOWERS Clock towers as a feature of postal buildings are not to be continued. The heavy structural work needed makes subsequent building extensions . difficult, and says the Posmaster-General it was considered that a clock tower on a building constituted a menace in the event of earthquake. This had uni happily been confirmed by; tl)e’ Department’s exp rience in tie 1 Hawkes Bay and West Const disturbances. It bad been established that in the case of the post office buildings at Hastings, Wairoa and Westport the presence of clock towers contributed largely to the damage caused to the buildings and proved a grave menace to the safety of officers and members of the public. In the lidtt of this exprri nee action is being taken with a view either to strengthen or dismantling the e'oek towel’s on a number of post office buildings, so as to remove any possible danger of collapse in time of earthquake. REDUCED MAIL COSTS. Contracts for mail services in the North Island were re-let from January 1. 1931. A reduction in annual subsidies of approximately £4500 was effected. Tidtwitlistand’ng that a number of important improvements in sorvic'-s was arinneed. One of the primipal improvements was estab'ishing a n : ght mail service by road between N-pier and Gishor’e. South Tshind mail service contracts will be re-'et Horn January 1, 1932. The Wellington-San F'reneEco and A ncklnnd-Vancoovw contracts expired on March 31, 1931. A fuflr r extension of twelve months fins been p.rrancred at reduced subsidies of £IB.OOO for the Vancouver service and £22,500 for the San Francisco service. Staff economy also has been effected the permanent staff of 11,012 afe March 31 last, showing a reduction of 579 on the number in the previous •-'-av. The Departm nt’s total cash trail actions amount to £201.000,000, annually.