The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-10-28
HAWAII POSTAL SERVICE
CHIEF OF THE BUREAU TALKS OF
NEW IMPROVEMENTS.
Hilo to Have Practically New Office
Olaa and Other Places-Good Roads
Sugar and Coffee Crops.

CT Neneral d. VI. OaI saw many I'M
provements. He also discovered chat
the post offices at Hilo and Olaa are
badly in need of repair and important
changes in these institutions are now
in contemplation.
The Postmaster General was absent
about three weeks on his visit to Ha-
next visit Kauai, after which he will
make another official tour to Hawaii,
to inspect the offices in the Kona dis
trict.
Among the Offices in the Kau dis
trict visited by the Postmaster General
were Hilo, Olaa. Volcano House, Pa
hala, Kahuku. Punaluu. Waiohuni,
Naalehu and others located on the up
per portion of the island. Postmaster
General Oat has practically decided to
generally overhaul the Hilo post office,
and, in all probability, the work will
be started within the next fortnight.
Our plans" began the Postmaster
General today. "are to tear down
the middle wall in the office, thus
making one large room out of the two.
\ vestibule will be erected on the ma
liai side of the present Office room and
an archway leading to this vestibule
will be constructed on the Waianue
nue. side. At least three large win
dows will be put in on the sea side
of the Office and a long table running
the entire length of the vestibule will
be placed on this side for the accom-
modation of the public for writing and
mailing purposes. Then on the inside
partition of the vestibule will be pa
per and letter boxes and couple of
small windows for advertised letters
and sale of stamps will be inserted in
the wal of the vestibule inside of the
main building. There will be no
change in the general delivery win
dow, but on the west side of the build
| ing there will he added window for
the delivery of Portuguese mail mat
ter. At the Wailuliu end of the new
vestibule will be stationed the money
order department. Above the boxes
on Front street it has been deemed
advisable to insert a new transom,
which will extend the entire length
of the building. After these changes
have been made the entire building
will be painted
Mr.. Oat says that in all probability
there will be some changes in the Olaa
office. The building will be renovated
and put in good shape and a number
of boxes, which have long since seen
their best days of service, will be re-
placed with new ones.
During the present administration
the mail service to and from all points
on Hawaii has been very materially
improved. 'EXpeditiousness of the
mails seems to be Postmaster Cen
eral Oats sole motto, and he is backed
up by Minister Damon, who takes a
very active interest in the department.
The schedule of every vessel plying be-
tween Honolulu and points on Hawaii
is carefully studied by the post office
officials and the mails are gotten to
their destination at the earliest pos
sible moment. The service through
the Kau district is five-day service
at present and the mails are "see-
sawed" to all points leading out from
Hilo. On the Kona side of the island
the service is very similar For a
time in both of these districts only
the letters and local papers were car
ried through on the five-day service,
the foreign papers and other mails
being delayed five days. This is not
the case at present. The Postmaster
General remedied this evil some time
ago, and now all mails, foreign or
local, are carried through with the
same haste.
The new steamer to be added to the
Inter Island company's fleet within
the next two weeks will improve the
KOna district service and the rum
ored addition of another vessel to the
Wilder Steamship Company's squad
ron, which will work along the Hilo
coast, will add materially to. the SER
vice of the Kau district.
81 was the most agreeably surprised
man in the whole group of islands
when / saw the remarkable improve
ments made in the roads about Hilo,'
said Postmaster General Oat, in speak
ing of the progress made in the Kau
region. ut has been three years since
| was on Hawaii last and the changes
were quite noticeable and very pleas
ing. l was accompanied by an old
friend on my way out to Hakalau last