IN 1854 the first session of Parliament sat in Auckland and was charged in the main to bring “responsible government” to the colony. Its powers were not great, as in effect the Governor ruled through the Executive Council. It was a trying period for the administration but the postal service fell within their sphere of control through finance.

In the Governor’s speech to the Legislative Council on 27th May, 1854, he charged the Assembly, among other things, that “means should be taken to discover and make practicable, for postal communication, the best lines of road between the several provinces” and “that measures should be adopted to facilitate intercourse between their inhabitants.”

The next mention of the Post Office was made in a ministerial statement by J. E. Fitzgerald (Lyttleton) on 15th June when he said they (the Executive Council) proposed placing the establishment of the General Post Office on the general estimates and the Postmaster-General on the civil list. Mr Fitzgerald then outlined in general terms the function of the Postmaster-General.

On a motion by Mr Weld on 16th June a committee, was appointed to enquire and report as to the establishment of effective steam communication between the various settlements. This was later expanded to cover the Australian colonies.

Questions were asked in the House in July as to whether the Government was going to take any steps in that session to ameliorate the administration of the postal service. It is evident that the post offices at this time were badly managed and inefficient. The postmasters, in most cases, were appointed not on their ability, but by favour of some local dignitary. Mr Forsaith (Northern) complained about the late delivery of letters at Auckland and Mr Carleton (Bay of Islands) thought arrangements could be made for the prepayment of postage to “neighbouring colonies and England”.

Also on 26th July there was a debate on the possibility of chartering the steamer Nelson to provide communication with the other provinces.

Parliament opened its second session on the 31st August, and once again the Post Office was mentioned in the Governor’s speech but this time more forcibly:

“With regard to the Post Office, I desire the utmost improvement of arrangements (and without delay) for ensuring promptitude, order, safety and punctuality. The means must be thoroughly efficient officers, and a new set of regulations, which shall strictly specify their duties and provide for their constant responsibility in the performance of them. I am of opinion that all the post offices should be placed under a really efficient Postmaster-General, to whom should also be entrusted the management of steam communication, as far as that may be dependent on the General Government.”

H. W. Petre was duly appointed Postmaster-General by Governor Grey, but when the House debated the estimates on 9th September it became evident that the appointment was not a popular one. Mr O’Brien proposed that the £425 salary and office rent of the Postmaster-General, be struck from the estimates. Gibbon Wakefield accused the Governor of making the appointment purely to enable him to inform the noble family of Petre, in England, that he had provided for their relative. Wakefield went on to say “that to make the Postmaster of Auckland Postmaster-General would be to jump out of the frying an into the fire”. The position of Postmaster in Auckland was also subject to criticism; members condemned the postmaster’s inefficiency and said “the office at Auckland is in a miserable state”. Mr Brown said that Colonel Hulme was wholly unfitted for the management of the Post Office at Auckland. The House then voted that the amount of £425 be struck from the estimates and this was the end of Mr Petre as Postmaster-General.

Henry William Petre

The House in committee then debated the estimates for the postal facilities at Auckland and Wellington. After a heated debate on the efficiency of the staff at Auckland, £1100 was agreed to, to cover their salaries. One interesting item is that Mr Brown (Auckland) proposed “that the messenger’s salary be raised to £100, for which he would deliver the letters in town and thereby afford a greater convenience to the public.” The vote for Wellington was passed with no debate.

An amount of £500 was appropriated for the overland postal communication between Auckland, New Plymouth, and Wellington, and £600 for the carriage of mails between the provinces by steamer.

On 16th September the second session of Parliament came to a close.

Republished by kind permission of the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand