POST OFFICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 June 1942, Page 4

POST OFFICE

TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENTS TUNNEL FROM ROADWAY. DISMANTLING OF CLOCK PROCEEDING. Satisfaction with the arrangements made by the Post and Telegraph Department in Masterton to enable services to be carried on almost without interruption was expressed by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when he visited Masterton on Thursday. ’■ The arrangements made for the temporary accommodation of the postal, money order and telegraph business are meeting the situation, owing, except in the case of the telegraph section, to a considerable falling off in normal business. It is hoped to reopen the Money Order and Savings Bank branch in Queen Street early next week for general business. A wooden tunnel is being constructed from the roadway to the office door to protect the public from falling debris while demolition work is proceeding. When this provision has been made, the arrangements should be sufficient to meet present requirements. The telegraph section has been very busy and yesterday a record number of telegrams were received and despatched. In the handling of this volume of business valuable assistance has been given by Army signallers. Work is now in hand preparatory to the removal of the shattered wall of the exchange and of the Post Office tower. The task of dismantling the clock is now under way. This job has to be done very carefully and will take some days. A number of telephone lines, mostly country ones, are still out of order, but this is due mostly to line faults. The lines are being restored as quickly as possible. Additional staff is being obtained from outside areas to expedite this work.