N.P. Postal District Among Four Best For Savings in N.Z.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1942, Page 4

N.P. Postal District Among Four Best For Savings in N.Z.

Since the National Savmgs campaign opened on October 13, 1941, the New Plymouth postal district is one of four postal districts in the Dominion that have obtained their quota every week. The 45 weeks, ended August 22, since the campaign started include the period over Christmas and the Liberty Loan campaign period, when all offices in the Dominion were credited with their quota. Only nine individual post offices in the whole of the Dominion have secured their weekly quota 45 times, and three of these offices are in the New Plymouth postal district. The successful offices are Ashburton, Cheviot, Hawarden, Kaikoura (Christchurch postal district), New Plymouth, Hawera, Urenui (New Plymouth postal district), Hunterville (Wanganui postal district) and Weber (Palmerston North postal district). Awakino -Mokau has failed . only once to secure or exceed its quota. Other offices in the district which have succeeded more than 20 times are Eltham (33), Manaia (31), Stratford (30), Kaponga (30), Opunake (30), Inglewood (24) and Okaiawa (21). Returns from the other eight offices cannot be regarded as good, but this is probably because residents are paying in to the nearest large town rather than into their own small post offices. Those who are credited with less than 20 weeks' success are Waitara (16), Whangamomona (13), Okato (12), Normanby (11), Te Wera (11), Tariki (10) and Midhirst (8). Tatai For District. Amounts received in each office during the 44 weeks ended August 15 show a most satisfactory position. The total paid in in the district is £283.826, which includes "Bomber Bond" investments, National Savings deposits, and amounts received by the New Plymouth Savings Bank. This makes an average per week of £6450, almost twice the district weekly quota of £3338. If the £100,000 invested in "Bomber Bonds" is deducted from the total, the average is £4178, still well in excess of the quota. Progressive figures show a gratifying increase in the number of accounts operating. As at February 28, 1941, there were 104,408 accounts in the district, by May 31 there were 150,873, by August 15 203,175, by November 15 250,856, and by July 7 of this year accounts had risen to 300,878. A comparative sdhedule prepared by the General Post Office, Wellington, places the 18 postal districts in order of merit as regards percentage of National Savings groups to business firms, percentage of group depositors to households, and percentage of total depositors to households and population. In the first list New Plymouth is 11th with a percentage of 20.46, in the second the district is 12th with 40,44 per cent., and in the third, 10th with 21.165 per cent.