The Hauraki Plains Mail Services.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4347, 25 November 1921, Page 2

The Hauraki Plains Mail Services.

ROUNDABOUT RIVER ROUTE. PRESENT METHOD OBSOLETE. • # Daily Mails from Paeroa Wanted.’ Assistant Secretary Post and Telegraph Department Personal Tour of Inspection Made Yesterday. (“Gazette” Staff Reporter,) . .

During the past year or two the residents of the Hauraki Plains have been agitating, with little or no success, for improvements in the mail services to the Plains. They desire a daily service, but hitherto this has not been practicable, owing to the state of the roads preventing a motor service being run from the railway junction of Paefoa to Netherton, Kerepeehi, and Ngatea. Recently, however, Messrs Brenan and Co. started a motor passenger and parcels service between Paeroa and Ngatea. Advantage was immediately taken of the service to deliver the “Gazette” to Netherton, Kerepeehi, and Ngatea, by which vastly improved method the residents get the paper within a little over an hour after printing. Being delighted with getting their papers so promptly, instead of having to wait for three days while the mails meandered round through Thames and up the Piako River, the residents agitated more than ever for a motor daily mail service by the same means. They want the dictum, “the old order changeth and giveth place to the new,” to be applied to their mail service; There have, naturally enough; been persistent efforts by Thames interests to keep the service going to that “dead-end,” instead of through the natural channel, the railway junction and across the Plains to Netherton, Kerepeehi, and Ngatea, which places, with the exception of Turua, are at present easily the most advanced centres on the Plains. Being given contradictory versions of things by different- people, the Post and Telegraph Department, which cannot afford to act. blindly, decided to make first-hand investigations for itself. Consequently, Mr J. McNamara, Assistant Secretary to the Department, arrived by express in Paeroa yesterday, and made a tour of inspection of the Plains as reported below. / y . \ KEREPEEHI DEPUTATION. On arrival at Kerepeehi, at about noon, Mr McNamara was met at /the Post Office by a very representative depulation from all parts pt the district, and the views of the residents pf Kerepeehi and district were put before him. . TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. Mr A. Chatfield, a member of the Hauraki Plains County Council, and president of the Hauraki Plains A. ■ and P. Association, referred 'to Che numerously-signed petition that had been presented in favour of a daily motor mail service between Paeroa and the Plains. The boat often enough arrived at Kerepeehi at 1C p.m., or other- unsuitable itime, according to the tide. It, took 2 hours 20 minutes at least to reach Shortlairl wharf. Messrs Brenan and Co. (Paeroa), had been enterprising enough 'to institute a daily motor service between Paeroa, Netherton;, Kerepeehi, and Ngatea, by which it was hoped the mails would also come. But he supposed it was a. matter of finance with the Postal Department. •‘Partly,” interposed Mr McNamara, “but not altogether, We are out to serve the people, and to give tjhe best service the volume of business will permit.” s Mr Chatfield : It would be a boon to the Plains to have a daily mail from Paeroa through to ISfgatea. “ABOMINABLE ROADS.” “It seems to me ;to be a matter of roads,” added .Mr McNamara. “Your roads are certainly abominable, and not fit for motor traffic, though it is a motor service that is wanted.” Mr Chatfield explained that the worst piece of road, some 45 chains on the Netherton-T'urua road, near the cross-roads to Kerepeehi, would soon be metalled, as the Council was calling tenders for that work. The money was available, as tire Netherton reading account was some £1509 or £1.700 in credit; there was also a Government subsidy of £5OO. That 45 chains of bad road had for years been a bar against all "kinds of traffic, quite apart from the bus and proposed mail service traffic. It would certainly be rectified very shortly. RETARDED FOR YEARS. Mr E. Jamieson endorsed Mr Chatfield’s remarks. For years the district had laboured under the disadvantage of a most exasperating mails service. Mucjh improvement had taken place locally since Mrs A. J. Innis had been considerate enough ito take over the Post Office, for that lady did her level best to have the mail delivered promptly, even after hours, as the regular thing once it reached Kerepeehi. The residents were grateful for her kindness and consideration, but nothing had been done to hasten the arrival of mails at Kerepeehi from Auckland and Paeroa. SHOCKING STATE OF AFFAIRS. Mr Jamieson went on to describe a really shocking state of affairs. He said it sometimes took five days for a letter to come from Auckland to Kerepeehi. On occasion the Kerepeehi mail bag had actually been carried on to Patetonga by launch, dumped on the wharf there, and then ultimately returned to Kerepeehi. it was appalling to think that such a thing could happen to a mail bag containing cheques, postal -orders, and other documents representing hundreds pl pounds.

A PREPOSTEROUS POSITION. [Before continuing the* report, we may point out the peculiar significance of the word “preposterous,” mentioned in the above heading. A thing that is ridiculous may be mere • ly foolish, but that which is “preposterous” is, to qupte Webster’s dictionary, “in inverted order,” “haying that first which, ought to be last,” “contrary to nature, reason, or com-J monsense,” "irrational, utterly and I glaringly foolish,” “nonsensical, absurd”—Ed. Gazette.) Mr Jamieson then proceeded to de-, scribe a situation that can best be defined as "preposterous.” He said that he and others had, on many occasions, to make a special trip from Kerepeehi to, posts a letter in Paeroa, in order to get it away by the same day’s mail; the alternative was post it in the ordinary way at Kerepeehi.. and it reach Auckland in three days’ time!.’ (Murmurs of disgust.) Recently the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co.’s Paeroa office had sent the mohthly cheques out by a member of the staff, by the bus service, to Kerepeehi and Ngatea, and posted them at these places in order to beat the deadly slow service via Thames, which expense and inconvenience could have been avoided had the mail service been worked from Paeroa, Mr Jamieson said. The company’s action, he added, was greatly appreciat- ' ed by the suppliers. FAST-DEVELOPING CENTRE. ’ There were, Mr Jamieson continued, 52 new farms coming into being close to Kerepeehi, and! assuming that' there ,were four or five persons in each homestead, tha,t would mean from 200 to 250 extra people doing business with tjhe Kerepeehi Post Office. What was wanted was tljiat the mails should be made up on the train and the special bags taken directly off the train and put on the bus. which left Paeroa a flew minutes after the arrival of the 3.15 p.m. express. Such a service would be of the greatest value ito the Land Department’s Kerepeehi headquarters, to the .Paeroa headquarters, of the Department, and to the main office of the Department at Auckland. The main postal business was done/ with Auckland, .. and if the desired .change in the service were made, a letter posted at Auckland in the morning would arrive at Kerepeehi or Ngatea on the same evening; likewise, a letter posted at Kerepeehi or Ngatea in the morning would arrive in Auckland the same evening. OUT-OF-DATE ROUTE. "I can see,” replied Mr McNamara, “that what this place wants is a mails service via Paeroa, and I will look carefully into the matter. The Department’s’ business is_to supply the needs of the greatest number ,of people, go long as the cars are running, we could give a service. twice daily provided the volume of business warranted it. There would be no difficulty in making up a mail bag on the train, though we could not do so for a few .letters only. We must keep < to t’he actual needs; otherwise the Postal Service would soon go to pieces. The present service is palpably a roundabout one, suited to the needs of the past, but not of the present. I hope to be able to get your mails through Paeroa for you. The other route is out of date.” (Hearty applause.) k HOPE OF THE FUTURE. Mr Chatfield thanked the Assistant Secretary for the patient, courteous, and sympathetic hearing accorded to the deputation, and said he hoped an improved service would eventuate. “And I hope to be able to give it io you,” Mr McNamara responded.

AT NGATEA.

THE BOX OFFICE. On arrival at Ngatea Mr McNamara was introduced to the “Box” office. The settlers assembled and pointed out the site for the new office, Mr McNamara said that it was impossible for the Department to er.jsct a very substantial building jusjt now, but a one-i oom building would be proceeded with. THE MAILS. Mr Ernest Walton introduced the matter of the daily mail service with Paeroa, and from a plan of the three counties was able to demonstrate the advantages that would result froma service with Paerpa. Mr Hayward, a member of tjhe Hauraki Plains County Council, pointed out the disadvantages the settlers were under by the present inadequate service. Since the motor bus had been running they were able to get the papers on fhe same day of publication instead of three or four days later. Mr Harvey, manager of the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., pointed out the rapid growth of the district and the large amount of correspondence that passed through the post office on behalf of his company. Thia correspondence came chiefly from Paeroa and Hamilton, and he urged Mr McNamara, to dp all he could to put. the service on a footing the district and population were entitled to* Messi’s McDuff and. Vincent also urged for the service from Paeroa. - In replying Mr McNamara thanked the deputation for the information given to him and said that he could see the district required a better service,