CAMP POST OFFICES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1915, Page 3

CAMP POST OFFICES.

TRENTHAM CAMP A LIVELY CENTRE. SOME SMART WORK. (From the Dominion.) Some idea can be gained of the importance of the military camp at Trentham when it is stated that the postal and telegraphic business transacted there is nearly three times as great as at Petone, and is actually greater than that at Feilding. So that from a Departmental viewpoint Trentham has the status of a first-class provincial town. Very little has been aid of the arrangements made by the Post and Telegraph Department at the various camps since the outbreak of war, which is, perhaps, the best of compliments, as the features of a camp that as a rule create the freest comment are those which are being complained about. The Department has done its work, often under trying circumstances, with the utmost efficiency and despatch. When it became necesary in the winter to pitch new camps, the motor lorries bearing the paraphernalia of a fit-up post and telegraph office, were actually waiting about in the rain for the authorities to decide on the camp sites at Waikanae and Rangiotu, and so it was also at May Morn and Tauherenikau.

There is at present a staff of fourteen hands at the Trentham Camp Post Office, all telegraphists with a postal training—general handy men, who can sort letters as well as they can tap -off a message in Morse. There, no lettercarriers are needed, as the letters for each company are handed over to the orderly corporal, who calls for them at the office. For the sake of a local' comparison it is mentioned that the Petone office has a staff of 13, only three of whom are telegraphists. There is a staff of seven men at May Morn, and ten at Tauherenikau. The numerical strength of, the camp Post and Telegraph staffs varies according to camp conditions., Just before a reinforcement draft leaves the work piles up and the staff has to be increased, and before the last draft went forward there wag a staff of 20 at Trentham, for a few days, and even then the business became too heavy for tKe camp wires to deal with, and hundreds of telegraphic messages had to be sent into town by motor for dispatch here. On one day in particular 600 messages were brought into the [Wellington office for dispatch. The existing post office at Tauherenikau camp is not for long. The new camp (all hutments) will soon be ready for occupation. With its usual promptitude the post office at the new camp (about two miles distant from the existing one) is quite ready at the present time, and as there are approximately about a thousand men working under the Public Works Department there, arrangements are being made to open it very shortly.