A POSTAL EVENT

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 25

A POSTAL EVENT

NEW PALMERSTON OFFICE OPENED ON SATURDAY. Fine v. eather favoured the large number of people who gathered at Palmerston on Saturday on the occasion of the opening of the new post office. The Major (Mr VV. H. Hopkins) extended a welcome to those present, and gave a resume of the efforts made during the P a ?, ~ e ' v - J ’ ea t r , s ,f° provide a new postal building for Palmerston. th ? absence of the Minister of Public Works (Mr W. B. Taverner) the official opening ceremony was performed by Air J. A. Macpherson, M.P., who apologised for the absence of the Postmastergeneral (Mr J. B Donald). “So far as can be ascertained, the ; °®S e at r almerston opened in 1863, under the charge of Mr T. Davis, said Mr Macpherson, in the course of his address. “The business was conducted m the old hotel in Tiverton street, which is at the present time occupied by Mr J Morrison. Mr Davis was succeeded on May 1, 1867, by Mr R. Johnston, a storekeeper, who remained iq-70‘ ar i ge of tle office llntil February, 18/u when a permanent one-roomed office was built on the site now occupied by the new office. Mr Johnston’s store was on the present site of the business now W'n at the Star Stores.' Ihe building which has just been vacated was erected in 1885. Mr T W bonguet, who took charge in February,' 18,0, was Palmerston’s first permanent postmaster. When the office was made permanent a money-order office and a post office savings bank branch were opened. The office was also constituted a telegraph station in 1870. successors and the years i r are: W. Bundle, A r A A £ ann ’ 1892; F - W - little i89o; B. C. Dean, 1902; E J Harrington, 1907; F. Williams, 1910;' J. R. Waters, 1912; G. H. Gates, 1918; F. H. Garth, 1924; R. D. Wilson, 1926; and 1928 A ’ Sa ' VJer (Present postmaster),

, telephone exchange was opened in 1899 with nine subscribers. The number ot subscribers now connected is 171. Mail matter was first conveyed to Palmerston in 186- b.v the Dunedin-Oamaru mail carrier, and was distributed to several fa lPm! es Jben residing in tents. Ihe Alain Eorth road was originally surveyed through Goodwood, and by that route the Dunedin-Oamaru mail was conveyed on horseback from 1859 to 1862, horses being changed at Mr W. Kennard’s, Good wood. The journey was completed iu the one day. The road between Dunedin and Palmerston was not then formed but the rush to the Dunstan goldfields, which occurred in 1862, caused the construct ion of the road to be rapidly pushed on. VVith the completion of this road, Alessrs C. Hoyt and Co., trading under the name of Cobb and Co., began to run their arge coaches at the end of 1863, carrying mails and passengers with the utmost regularity and punctuality, until Maj' 21. 18/8, when the coaches were superseded by the railway.

. The following figures given an indication ot the volume of work transacted at lalmerston during the year 1930:—Letio 1 l% pos t, car d s > a ud other articles posted, 18.1,700; letters, post cardo, and other articles delivered, 274,800; money orders issued, 1653 (of a value of £7644) ; money orders paid. 573 (of a value of £3182); Savings Bank deposits. 1380 (amounting to £27,865); Savings Bank withdrawals. 525 (amounting to £23,229); telegrams forwarded, 5973 (of a value of £265); telegrams received for delivery to residents, 4274; telegram transmits, 4104; telephone toll messages received, 19.822; telephone toll messages forwarded, 25,047 (of a value of £917); telephone toll transmits, 12,011. From these figures you will see that the business is substantial.’' The building is a two-storied structure built in brick and concrete, and is of fire-resisting construction. The exterior is finished with plaster enrichment and the roof is finished with Marseilles tiles. The main entrance facing Ronaldsay street is through a Doric portico supported by Doric columns. Two residential and three official entrances have been provided on the ground floor. The building is of modern design, and embodies the most up-to-date practice in design of public buildings. Anj’ materials from other than British sources form such a small fraction of the building as to be practically negligible. All timber, cement, and brick was obtained in New Zealand, whilst as far as possibe fittings have been obtained from New Zealand manufacturers using British material. The ground floor provides accommodation for the post office staff, and comprises:—Mail room (29ft bj' 24ft 6in), public space (25ft by 12ft), telephone exchange (17ft by 12ft). postmaster’s room (12ft 6in by 10ft 3in), letter box lobby. (12ft bj’ 6ft), vestibule (lift 6in by 6ft), and two storerooms and a strongroom. An entrance hall for the residential portion is also provided on this floor. In a separate building are a garage, store, line foreman’s office, and battery room. The usual conveniences, including a bicycle shed, are provided in an outbuilding. Residential accommodation is provided for the postmaster on the first floor, and consists of a living room, a kitchen, three bedrooms, a sun room, and the usual conveniences. The building was erected bj' Air W. H. Williams of Oamaru.

Air E. H. Clark, AI.L.C., added a few remarks, during the course of which he congratulated the members of the staff of the post office on the excellent building in which they would work. The function was concluded with a dinner.