POST OFFICES WANTED.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5433, 7 June 1929, Page 4

POST OFFICES WANTED.

WAITAKARURU & KEREPEEHI. MINISTER APPROACHED. Representations to have post office buildings ejected at Waitakaruru and Kerepeehi were made to the Post-master-General, the Hon. J. B. Dopald, on his visit to the Hauraki Plains on Wednesday. The Minister was accompanied by Mr A. W. Hall, M.P. for Hauraki, W. R. King,, private secretary, and a stenographer. * Morning tea was provided at Waitakaruru by the Waitakaruru and Pipiroa Ratepayers’ Association, and here Mr C. W. Harris, county chairman, extended a welcome on behalf of the council and settlers. Mr Harris spoke of the inadequacy of the Waitakaruru post office, and explained that the building "and the site were leased from a settler. The department had a post office site alongside the church, but it was liable to flooding. This could be obviated by the provision of drains and a culvert. The request was for a post office such as the importance of the district warranted. He pointed out that the district was progressing, and the present office was already too small, so the service was not as good as it would be if there were adequate accommodation. From the new bridge the Minister viewed the site reserved, and also the Crown land opposition, where there were several suitable sites. AT KEREPEEHI. A large deputation of Kerepeehi settlers met the Postmaster-General on arrival at that township. Mr J. M. Thompson, the first speaker, pointed out that the present post office was inadequate for the district. It was impossible for the postmistress to send or receive telegrams without everybody at the counter or in the store hearing everything that was said. People using the telephone could also be heard. The district warranted something better, and he would ask the Minister to go into the question. Mr D. Shilton supported the previous speaker's remarks, and pointed out that there were 150 householders served by the Kerepeehi office. Mr H. D. Jamieson advocated a consolidated telephone exchange for the whole of the Hauraki Plains. He pointed out that'there were thousands of acres of land about the Plains yet to be opened for settlement, and the district was bound to advance considerably. Kerepeehi was bound to become a distributing centre for the whole of the Plains, and the time was not far distant when mails would be transported by aeroplane. Kerepeehi would then be a distributing centre not only for the whole of the Plains, but also for Thames and Paeroa. Mr Jamieson asked the PostmasterGeneral to move a short distance to the top of the hill, where he could see an ideal landing ground for aeroplanes. Continuing, Mr Jamieson said that the people had done much to advance Kerepeehi, and it was now up to the Post and Telegraph Department to do something. A plea for the employment of local tradesmen who had been put off the local Government works was made by the next speaker, who urged that by building a post office the State would be providing work for these men. The party then moved to the hilltop, from where the Kerepeehi block was pointed out to the Minister and representations were made to him by Mr J. M. Thompson to use his influence to have the land opened for settlement as quickly as possible. Mr Jamieson explained that roads Jed to Kaihere, Netherton, Turua, Ko puarahi, and Ngatea, so that Kere.peehi was ideally situated for the ccnItralisation fo all Plains rural mail delivery services.

After inspecting the post office the Minister, in replying, expressed his .pleasure at being able to meet the settlers and to hear their needs. The duty of a Government was to meet the needs of settlers. He realised that some day Kerepeehi would be on the railway, and would no doubt become a distributing centre. When it became a bigger place a permanent post office would be warranted, but it would be bad business to build on speculation and find in a few years’ time that the office was inadequate or bigger than was required. He would have some improvements made to the present office to ensure privacy. He had only been Postmaster-General for a few months, and was proceeding slowly until he had gained a thorough grip of his job. A programme had been laid down by the previous Government, and he was not interfering with it for at the he.'d of the Post and Telegraph Department there were able men who could be depended upon to do the best and use discretion and business foresight. There were certain commitments, and these had to be met before a building programme could be embarked upon. “We don’t want a hut,” interjected a settler.

“When you get the railway,” said the Minister, “we will see what the district is made of and we can then build accordingly,” It would be wise to put up with a little inconvenience for a few years and then get something worth while. A Consolidated Exchange.. ■ In. regard to the centralisation of telephone exchanges, this was now the policy of his department. It had not always been the policy, but it was now, and centralisation was already being effected. On a recent trip North he had gone into the question of bringing six small telephone centres to one central exchange. Mr J. J. Jenkins asked whether, in the case of centralised telephone exchanges, the rental for telephones would be on a flat rate or on a mileage basis, as at present. It would be unfair to penalise outlying districts. The Minister said that was the difficulty. Continuing, the Hon. Donald point-

cd out that the post office belonged to the people, and those at its head fully realised their duty to the public. The department was not out to make a profit, but it did want the services to pay their way. The Minister was then shown the post office site on the corner opposite the hotel and in front of the Lands Department’s office. Prior to his departure for Thames the Minister was thanked for his visit by Mr C. W. Harris, county chairman! and by Mr A. W. Hall, M.P., on behalf of Mr A. M. Samuel, M.P., who had been detained in Auckland by the Prime Minister. When returning thanks the Minister said that Kerepeehi would be wise to wait for its post office until it was seen what it would develop into. He would promise that something would be done to make the office private, and would give an assurance that his promise would be carried out. He would “bet a hat on it.”