Public Meeting.

Manawatu Herald, 4 December 1894, Page 3

Public Meeting.

The meeting convened by the Mayor for last night at the Public Hall to consider the action of the Postal Department with reference to the mail service was held, but later than the hour fixed, owing to his being detained at the meeting of the Borough Council. Owing to this the ♦ attendance was not so large as was expected, as many who cattle early left before the meeting commenced. His Worship, in opening the meeting, referred to the efforts made by ' the residents of Foxton in opening up this mail route. He read the letter which had been received from th« Postmaster-General (which appears in full in the report of the meeting of the Borough Council), and also the resolution of the Coun-> cil with regard to the action of the Department, which had been carried unanimously. He thought notice should be taken of the peculiar action of the Postal Department. Mr Stansell desired to point out that the new service would be of no use to the residents in Foxton, not even in the carriage of mails, as a letter posted on Saturday afternoon would not reach Wellington practically till Tuesday morning, whereas if posted as late as Sunday night now would reach Wellington midday on Monday. This is what the Department thought an advance on the conveniences given t By the present service the residents had 14 mails a week, by the new service they loot every morning's mail. The neW route would also be found distinctly awkward for travellers. The petition forwarded by the Mayor was sent on the 10th of last month, and no reply was received till the 29th, yet the petition reached Wellington two days prior to the tenders being in. The letting of the last tender was very peculiar, as for the first tenders advertisements were issued a month prior to the date of their being considered, and when sent in the Department took four and a half weeks to come to some determination, yet for the last tenders no advertisement appeared in a newspaper, the time for sending in was fixed at a week, and it was accepted with equal celerity. The action seemed peculiar, and looked to some particular influence having been brought to bear, Thynne moved the following resolution | That the PostmasterGeneral be requested to hold an inquiry into the letting of the Shannon service, so as to show how the mistake arose in thinking the majority of persons interested in the Foxton mail .desired the change made by the Department, Mr W. B. Rhodes seconded the resolution. Mr Thynne, in speaking to the 'question, said it was clear from the letter sent by the Postmaster-General that he was under the idea he had some really useful thing, show* ing tpthe had evidently been very badly* advised. The service was originated as a convenience for the residents of Foxton, as it was simply for the conveyance of the Foxton mails, and therefore the opinions of outsiders should not have been en' iertained, An inquiry would be the fneans of letting the Postmaster* General learn how these little points are some times worked, and Would enable him to understand how much inoonvenienoe this action of fall Department would cause to the residents. Th« resolution was carried unanimously. A tote to the chair concluded the business of the meeting.