THE NEW TELEGRAPH OFFICE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 172, 12 July 1876, Page 2

THE NEW TELEGRAPH OFFICE.

The business of the Telegraph Office was this morning transferred from the wretched little shanty in connection with the Post Office, which has hitherto been devoted to that purpose, to the fine roomy building just completed by Air Good, tho contractor, in Trafalgarstreet, and while we deprecate the separation of the Telegraph and Post Offices by so wide a distance we must congratulate the General Government on the excellence of the arrangements of the new buildiag, and the Telegraph staff upon having removed into such comfortable, commodious, and convenient quarters. Entering from Trafalgarstreet tbe visitor finds himself in a capacious hall, on one side of which is the Inspector's, and on the other, the Manager's office. Folding doors open into the public office, which is a fine roomy ball with everv convenience for writing telegrams. *A counter runs round three sides of it, at the centre of which the clerk receives the telegrams, the two ends being screened off for those engaged ia that portion of the clerical work of the department, in which the general public are not concerned. A sliding window in the door leading into the operators' room opens into a wirework cage fitted up for the reception of the telegraph forms when handed in for transmission. The operators' room ia a fine roomy apart-

ment 40 feet x 22 feet, and with walls 12 feet high, lighted from above by a skylight, into which all the latest improvements for Securing thorough ventilation have been introduced, while two fireplaces afford every facility for rendering it comfortably warm during the winter months. In this room there are six instruments, and there will shortly be seven, as it is intended to connect Nelson and Blenheim (the transmitting office for the Middle Island in connection with the Cook's Strait cable) by an additional wire via the Top House and Wairau Valley. From this office the despatch clerk, for whom a snug little room is provided, receives through a sliding window the messages received from other parts of the colony, which he makes up and passes through a similar medium to the messengers' room, which is provided with, a fireplace and forms. Here the boys wait until their services are required, and are despatched on their errands, if necessary, every ten minutes. This is a great improvement upon the hitherto existing state of affairs, under which the operators^ clerks, and messenger: boys were, all huddled together in one room, where a smart lad, if desirous of doing so, might have picked up from the click of the instruments the contents of every message received. A passage from one side of the front of the building is provided for the male operators, and another on the other side for the females, both of them leading into cloak rooms with lavatories and other conveniences attached. The front part of the building is two storeys high, the upper one containing four good rooms, which will be used as Public Works Offices. Nothing has been omitted to make the whole suite of offices as comfortable and convenient as possible, and those who have visited the buildings devoted to the Telegraph department in other towns of the colony assert that none of them are superior, if, indeed, they are equal, to the Nelson office. It may not be out of place here to state that when Mr Tucker, the present manager, was first invested with the charge ot the department in Nelson, now nine years ago, be and one lad were equal to performing the whole of the work, including the delivery of the messages. Now, there are nine operators, iucluding two young ladies, in addition to the clerks and messengers, the whole staff numbering sixteen in all. There are at present seven wires connected with the office, namely, two to Cable Bay, two to Blenheim, two to the West Coast via the Buller Valley, and one to Motueka. The latter we hope, ere long, to see extended to Collingwood. In concluding this notice we would take the opportunity of acknowledging the courtesy and attention we have invariably experienced at the hands of Mr Tucker, the Manager, and the whole of his staff. There are none who are brought into contact with the Telegraph Office more than those connected with the press, and they are consequently better able than others to appreciate those little acts of kindly consideration, by the performance of which We have so frequently felt ourselves placed under an obligation to the Telegraph officials in Nelson.