Charleston: Its Rise and Decline/Chapter 19
Chapter XIX.
POST OFFICE—TELEGRAPH—MAIL SERVICES.
THE Charleston Post Office, a very humble-looking building, stood at the corner of Camp Street South and Darkie’s Terrace Road, on the Post Office Reserve. From 1867 to 1872 it was a Chief Post Office, the head of a district, but from the 1st December of the latter year became subordinate to Westport office. Prior to 1st May, 1867, the Post Office was conducted by Mr. H. W. Stebbing, in his store in Coal Street. The postmaster’s residence was upon the opposite corner of Darkie’s Terrace Road, on the Camp Reserve. It was built in February, 1868, at a cost of £135.
In 1868 the construction of the telegraph line from Greymouth to Westport was completed, and telegraph offices were opened at Brighton and Charleston in August of that year, and at Westport during the following month. The line was erected at the instance of the Provincial Government of Nelson which guaranteed to “The General Government Electric Telegraph Department” six per cent. interest on the total cost of construction, as well as any deficiency between the revenue and the actual cost of working and maintaining the line. The line, however, was owned and constructed by the General Government, the route being surveyed by Mr. Alexander Aitken and constructed by day labour under his supervision. It was 67 miles long and cost £7,000, being the most expensive in New Zealand up to that date, the work having presented many difficulties, necessitating the cutting of a track through dense bush; also the swampy nature of the ground offered great obstacles—when some of the poles were set up they sank to solid bottom at a depth of seven feet below the surface. All the material for construction, and stone for packing around the poles, had to be transported on packhorses over difficult country.
Later, lines were constructed from Greymouth to Reefton, and in 1877 a branch line was erected from Reefton to Westport by way of Inangahua Junction. This meant that Westport was served by two lines; one from Greymouth via Charleston, and the other via Reefton.
On account of the difficulty and expense of maintaining the Greymouth-Charleston-Westport circuit, the Greymouth-Charleston section of it was dismantled and only the Charleston-Westport section retained.
The two services, Telegraph and Postal, were separate departments until 31st December, 1880, when they amalgamated. The Charleston office changed from a telegraph service to a telephone service in 1889. The old Post Office building was sold, for removal, for £5, in 1936; and the present building was erected on the same site in 1937.
There was regular delivery of telegrams at Charleston but not of letters; only counter delivery of latter being made. However, the postmaster advertised from time to time the addresses of any lying undelivered. Apparently these were few; an advertisement in the Charleston Herald in 1873 showed only four.
Some examples of the volume of business at the Charleston Post Office are:—
Telegraph: Brighton-Charleston-Westport line, 1868; number of telegrams 1551; revenue £252.
P.O. Savings Bank: On 1st February, 1867, there were in the Nelson Province, Savings Banks at the five principal offices only. In April of the same year there were 39 others, of which Charleston was one. Examples of Savings Bank business at Charleston during the first twenty years are:—
Deposits: 1868—£5,702; 1870—£4,872; 1888—£938. Withdrawals: 1868—£1,618; 1870—£3,023; 1888—£656.
Postmasters and Postmistresses: 1st May, 1867—Mr. C. J. Anderson; 11th January, 1868—Mr. Andrew Alexander; 1st December, 1871—Mr. Wm. St. George Douglas; 1st December, 1877—Mr. J. Salmon; 10th August, 1878—Mr. John J. Pickett; 1st May, 1880—Mr. F. C. McClure; 14th January, 1881—Mr. A. A. Winterburn; 10th August, 1894—Miss Edith Julius; 1st September, 1896—Miss Mary McCarthy; 1st January, 1902—Miss Lizzie Verdon; 30th April, 1917—Mrs. Agnes McManus; 28th September, 1920—Miss Ethel Powell; 1st April, 1923—Mrs. Frances A. Smith; 1st March, 1924—Miss Ethel Powell; 30th March, 1925—Mrs. Lucy M. Dalkie; 1st May, 1929—Mrs. Eliza L. Robertson; 1st August, 1937—Miss Jessie Robertson. The office was conducted on a non-permanent basis (i.e., the person in charge was not on the permanent staff of the Department) from 10th August, 1894, until 1st July, 1908 (under Miss Verdon) and reverted to permanent basis in 1917 under Mrs. McManus.
Staff: 1871-1874—James Duigan and —. Sampson; 1875 —W. Petre, 1876—C. J. McCarthy; 1877—Arthur Cavell; 1878—C. D. R. Treadwell; 1879—I. Faris; ?—W. Dickson.
MAIL CONTRACTS.
The carrying of mails on horseback from Charleston to Westport, and return mails from Westport to Charleston, involved a journey of 36 miles, leaving Charleston at 6 a.m. and returning 5.30 p.m. on the same day. An extra led-horse was required for unusually heavy mails.
Charleston to Brighton: Mails were carried by horse, up to 1875, the contractors being Thomas Dollman, 1872; James Moles, 1873; Daniel Maloney, 1874; Samuel McKittrick, 1875. In 1876 it was conducted on foot by A. Hinde, and Hinde Junior. The service was twice weekly in 1872, and weekly thereafter, the subsidy varying from £65 in 1872 to £24 in 1876. Later the service was again by horse and weekly; the subsidy varying from £6 to £24. The contractors were M. O’Brien, 1877; M. F. O’Brien, 1879; and Joseph Wareham, M. O’Brien, M. F. O’Brien, S. Price, Wm. L. Price, W. Price, and T. E. Price during the period from 1881 to 1904.
Tiromoana to Charleston: The service was by horse and weekly from 1909 to 1924, the contractors being W. L. Price, W. Price, and T. E. Price, and the subsidy from £10 to £20.
Charleston to Tiromoana: A service “weekly or twice--weekly as opportunity offers” was started in January, 1925, and was by gig, the subsidy £20, and the contractor, T. E. Price.
Westport-Charleston: The service was by cart, and daily, in 1872 and 1873, the subsidy £300, and contractors, T. McKee and James Simpson. By horse, and daily, 1874-1876, the subsidy £300 and £230, the contractors, Philip McEnroe and James Moles. By horse, and thrice-weekly, in 1877-1878, the subsidy £110, and the contractors, James Costello and Jonathan Harle. By horse and coach, thrice-weekly, in 1879-1880, the subsidy £125, and the contractor, Wm. Hill. By horse, twice-weekly, 1881-1882, £50, Wm. Hill. By cart, twice-weekly, 1883-1886, £68 to £32, Michael Quane. By coach, twice-weekly, 1889-1890, £20, J. Dixon and Michael Quane. By trap, twice-weekly, 1891-1896, £29 to £17, W. Hanna. By coach, twice-weekly, 1897-1909, £5 to £94, W. Hanna, C. Croawell. By “coach as required,” 1910-1912, £93, Craddock Brothers. By coach, twice-weekly, 1913-1922, £73 to £110, Mitchell, Menzies. By motor truck, twice weekly, 1923-1929, £75, A. Mockett. Since 1930, by the regular Westport-Greymouth motor service.