THE SWARMING SEASON

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 43, 5 November 1952, Page 4

THE SWARMING SEASON

HpHIS is not, as the beading would seem to indicate, an articie about bees. We are thinking of human swarms that will send the Taupo population roeketing during the summer holiciay season now looming some xew weeks oit". Taupo is in the happy position of hecoming* increasingiy popular with anglers, eampers, and ihe holiday hoi polloi -&ho roam the highways and hyways elad in next to nothing to show off their tan. And they are all very welcome. Their invasion is good for business and this summer, incidentally, it should also be good for the Taupo Memoiial Hall Fund if the carnival programme now in the process of incubation goes off according to plan.

With this prospect looming up it should be a matter of conscience with all of us to give. a thought to those in our community who will have to carry a good deal of the heat and burden of the season. W e ref er especially to the Taupo Post Office Staff. When the swarming sets in, the pressure of business will be stepped up enormously. There will be long queues of visitors asking for letters at the delivery counter, sending telegrams, buying stamps, and so forth. The resident citizens will be swamping the counter with Christmas parcels, flooding the letter boxes with Christmas cards. With all that, patient and courteous service has been, on past experience, the rule of the Post Office tradition.

Can we, the permanent residents of Taupo, do anything about it ? Sur'ely. We can begin by getting our Christmas cards and parcels off well before the holiday rush begins. We can also, with the strongest possible emphasis, make urgent representations to the official powers at Wellington Headquarters for a substantial augumentation of the existing staff to eope with the extra rush. This question is oue that might prcperly and profitahly be taken up by the local Businessmen's Association as a matter of urgency to meet the demands of a period of exceptional pressure — to ease the strain of an overworked staff.