THE NEW POST OFFICE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81916, 17 January 1907, Page 3

THE NEW POST OFFICE

The N'ow Plymouth Post Ollice, now Hearing completion, was visited „,i Tuesdav uioriiiiig bv a "IJaily News" reporter, win, traveled the building from lire entrance sicips to the final: hatcliwav in the top of (he dome which is known as the llaghaich. !•'voiii the lower itself is obtainable a sj.leudid view of the whole of the town and the out lying district, and is probably the best position extant for securing piiioraiinc views of this part of Tarauaki. Mr Tong, clerk ot Ti:e' exterior of the building is of red pressed brick"., w 111 yeMow mould cii bases, window si! s, and cornices. The iwo gables are on cither side ot the tower, and the clock faces, are ornamented with rclhf scroll work, and there are columns supporting the .rubles. The scroll work, bv the wav, does not uiiileriallv add to the at tr.icliven e-s of the'edilice. The dome nl lhe top of the tower is aLo of tinsame vellow tint. l'roni the base to the top of li:e dome linial is SO feel, and lo the. top of the llagpole'. IUO l'r-l.

Liiv "win entrances lo tint building iir from Devon street, ami the principal ( ,n.- is reached l.y steps loading In m tin.- footpath uiiiU-r tin; lower archway whiil) spans tin- sidcwn I;. I tut nuV inspection of tin: building , commenced fi-osii tin.' entrance on ti.u i-orii<-i- of Devon and Kobe streets landing into tin- Mowy Older ami To cr'apli Olliee. A pair of sliding door, give access to a short (light ol concrete st.-ps, with Hilton silic-i nos inns. The porch is practically a glass paneled screen, and at the lop of tin-=.(<-|n is a swing d -. with the top panel -lav.ed. This opens inio the Honey' Order depart.ncnt of tlie pub lie olliee. nliiiw dimensions are 50 ft hv S, it. Of this about a third, and a' third of the counter space arc ilo \..l"d to Money Order business, the remainder belonging to the postal andle'ograph department . There is an abundance of desk-room for the g'ti era I public, the desks being divided up by translucent, yet not transpa' counter, of rimu. has a hue po'isiicd kauri top. Audi a brass wire woven screen nomine; the. whole length. There arc patent litis for sending telegram's from the counter to the instruincut room on the first lloor. The public ofliie is wed lighted by numerous large windows, ami part of the ventilation arrangements consists of llic fanlights of Muranose glass over t!:e p'ai/'c t'V.iss windows, A sliort passage a ion- the link- street em! of ti:c counter.' which mils para lei to Devon sirct. leads to a room set apart for tiic menev order cork, and this passage, will., when all the works are completed, connect with ihe new mail room which will include, the. whole ot the present mail room, instrument room and public offices, the lloors being raised to the level" of the ground lloor of tlie new building. Now letter boxes wi'l also be erected on the Kobe street frr.nlngc or liie old budding. Tin; main entrance., at the D,:vtin Queen slree'i, junction, leads into a line hall. ID feet wide, with tc'ssahi led tile lloor. '.lhe continuation of ll.is entrance hall loads through the building and along a covered way across the courtyard to the present Government l!uddi:i".s. Opening from the left of the hall is the public olliee ii'M ,d, s:\ijhi-d, ami to the right a iloor leads through the inspector's room l"ft bv lld't 'to a despatch room ISft bv ii.-)'f:"'t. Here is seen the he-,,.,' end of another lift, by which Ihe received telegrams arc sent down from the operating room. Adjoining 110- is a lai-co room 17ft bv 21ft. for tin- le'cui-aph messengers. 'This is on Ihe eor-.M-r', f Devon and Silver streets, liet ween I his and the Silver street entrance is the telephone bureau, built lo ensure privacy for those ofl t'he -coral pubic who have to use it. The Silver street entrance is for the u-e of the telegraph op-rating I stall'. At the head or the slab-way

arc desks for writing of late telegrams for despatch after the downstairs of lice has closed. Here also are the men's lavalerics, and a door lending to tlie instrument room. The principal access to the lirst lloor is jrained by a staircase leading from lit" main entrance hall, and linishes on n ..pacious arched landing above tile area between the old auif new buildDoors lead lo the instrument, room and lo the le'egraph exchange. The. iusiniiui'iit rnoin is a splendidly lighted ami spacious apartment, of irregular shape somewhat nnil having, ill unions illirt by -Jal't and I! Ift bv llifl. looking out. on Devon. Qiieim, ami Silver streets.

A leVphoiie r i] adjoins this, iiml in a iiii-lii- in the wall ere found Hi.- upper "lids of the letter lift con needier with tiii desiiati-h and tlie piihlie oilier- nil Hie ".round Hour. The (illieer-iii charge lias ,-in oilier- opui'i!: out of dm 'instrument room. The teh-phmie exi-liiiiiL'il occupies n 'spnce ISft hv i.ft and tM liv 2Ul't on the lirs! door, at the corner'of Jlevon anil liolie streets. (In the southern side is the huly employees' cloak room ifltt liy lift and lavatories. On the lirst Hum- of the 10-.vi-r is a luncheon room, whii-ii- commands a line- vie": and is a luncheon room that, liuvidreils will envy, the diHier.s iilw.Vs fcelinf' as-surcd of n luri-w, even 'when the town ecmro is, S/ra-lterinr.' in a lazy at luosplierv. 'Tii'c second floor of the tower is on

a level with the first floor ceiling joists, and the telegraph wires will be carried through the tower above the ceiling and liiencD down to the instrument room.. This apartment in the tower will probably he used as a store room. Above this is the bell chamber, with four large circular-headed openings, which will lead to small balconies. Un the next lloor higher is the clock room, for the four clock-faces looking out to the north, south, east, and west. From the clock-room a easing to contain tire clock weights extends dewnwards for some forty or lifty feet. At present the openings for the clockfaces are boarded tip, pending the ar, rival of the clock from J'higand. Higher 'still, right into the dome itself, constructed of coke breeze and coated on the outside with asbestos p'aster. A little opening in the roof, scarce large enough for head and shoulders to be pushed through, is known as the Hug hatch, and the only thing to be seen higher than this is the 2tlft of the 30ft flagstaff itself. On the way down our reporter was informed that the clock-faces will be brilliantly lighted by electricity at night. The whole building is to be profuse y lighted with electricity from tlje muni oipal wires. The ventilation of tire room's on the ground lloor is by means of mica flap ventilators, and on the first lloor by ceiling ventilators leading to cowls on the roof..

The walls of ail the rooms with the exception of the large public ollice on the ground lloor have a dado of anaglypta, painted to a terracotta colour, and all the walls are of white plaster, the white ceiling of steel with steel' cornices. Th- woodwork is of sa'cc ted I'imu, and the joinery, supplied by .Messrs Henry Jlrown ami Co., contains some of tiie finest wood we have evifr seen. The height of stud is 14ft on the ground Hour, and 13ft on (he first floor. .Messrs I'ikctt and Wilkie, the contractors, are to be complimented on the manner in which the work is being carried out. At the rear of the building there is in course of election a new battery chamber, 44ft by 20ft. The building is divided into three portions, one of which is used for storage cells, an oteer is the linesman's workroom, and the third is a small room to house a dynamo. A loft is to be used as a storeroom.