POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 162, 9 July 1907, Page 6

POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT.

THE ANNUAL REPORT.

CBy Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.

WELLINGTON, this day. The annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department for the year ended March 31st, was laid on the table of the House to-day by the PostmasterGeneral (Sir Joseph Ward). Its most interesting feature to the general public is the satisfactory news that the reduction of charges for both letters and telegrams made towards the close of last year has been productive of an unprecedented increase in the volume of business, particularly in the telegraph branch, which for the first time in its history shows a profit.

UNINTERRUPTED PROSPERITY. 'The year has been one of uninterrupted prosperity, states the report. The revenue of the Department and excess of revenue over expenditure were the highest yet attained. For the first time the revenue of the telegraph branch has exceeded the expenditure and this by the substantial sum of £16,161. This is mainly due to the rapid expansion of the telephone exchange revenue, and the reduction of telegraph rates. The results of the large reductions in postage and telegraph rates made from November 1, have been most gratifying to the public and to the Department. The reduction in parcel rates, made on January 1, has resulted in a great increase of the parcel-post business, which increase will probably reach 100 per cent within the next few months. The expansion of business has necessitated large additions to the stafl, and it is a matter for serious consideration whether additional avennes for promotion should not be made by improving the position of the Postal and Telegraph officers

RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITUKE. Postal receipts totalled £438,729 and the expenditure £337,761, leaving a pro£7 \n -In 10 ' 96 !" «c4*e were £307,020, and the expenditure £291----359, leaving a profit of £16,161 The total receipts were and the total expenditure £619,121, leaving a profit of £127,128. The total revenue exceeded. that of the previous year by £61,371, while the increase in the total expenditure was £40,394 in excess of revenue over expenditure, which in the last ten years amounts to £ 703,706 The report states that if the value of' free ofliaal postal correspondence (£64£72) and official telegrams (£17,487) handled during the first nine months of the financial year were added, the net balt the yearss fraasactions would De £209,487. TELEGRAMS. The total number of telegrams forwarded was 6,396,332, or an increase on last year of 13.41 per cent, of which 1 per cent only is regarded as due to the Exhibition. The expenditure on telegraph, extension was £114,068, plus a habJity of £75,110 for works authorised by Parlzament too late for the expenditure to be brought within the financial year. On 31st March there were 8953 miles of telegraph line, containing 27 - 031 miles of wire, and the length of submarine cables was 289 knots. TELEPHONES. -The telephone exchange subscribers have increased from 15,333 to 17,403, the latter number paying £100,814, which sum is included in the revenue of the telegraph branch before mentioned. POSTAL NOTES. The number of postal notes issued has increased by 12.15 per cent, and the amount of the same by 13.67 per cent, MONEY ORDERS. The money order business shows a relatively small rate of increase. In the Savings Bank the deposits were £7,907,----154, withdrawals £6,907,103, and the excess, with £291,192 interest added, makes a total increase of £1,291,242. This brings the total savings to £9,953,265, or £10 19/1 per head of the population. STRENGTH OP THE STAFF. . The report refers to the severe loss to the Department by the deaths of Messrs William Gray, secretary, and Thomas Rose, assistant secretary, also of Mr G. W. Wilkin, C.P.M-, Dunedin, and officer of the longest service in the Department. The total number of officers on the staff on 31st March was 5192 as against 4929 for the previous year. Of these 3147 are on the classified staff, the remainder not being on the permanent staff. The classified staff received in salaries £329,220, and the unclassified £44,488. The conduct of the staff had been satisfactory, the heavy strain of increased business having been met in a most satisfactory manner.

SUCCESS OP CHEAP POSTAGE. The report records a resolution re securing, if possible, universal penny postage, which Sir J. G. Ward introduced and carried at the Imperial Conference, and also states that, since the reduction of the inland letter rate on November Ist, the total number of letters dealt with in the period January 1 to March i 31 exceeded by 416,315 those posted during the corresponding quarter of 1906. In that quarter the public caved £6,359, while the estimated loss of revenue is only £1088, a result more favourable than was expected. TELEGRAM RATES. As to the reduction in telegram rates, the gain to the public during the period from the date of the reduction (November 1 . to March 31), is estimated at £6745, or £16,188 for the year, which is £2000 more than the sum the Department had estimated. The public would gain, while instead of the Department losing £3000, the revenue in the five months caused a gain of £4899. ABOLITION OF FRANKING. One of the most important events of the year was the abolition of the franking of official letters and telegrams. On January 1 the report states that, apart from the fact that the Post Office performed the work for other Departments without remuneration, the system had grown to etravagant dimensions. The result of the change has been that for the quarter ended March 31, it is estimated that the postage on official letters was £5706, or say a total for the year of £22,824, as against £56,59S for 1906. The value of official telegrams was £2217, or say £10,000 a year, allowing for the increase during the Parliamentary session, as against £24,168 for the previous year. SOME BIG TOTAI£. Summing up the Postal Branches' work, the report states that nearly 72 million letters were posted in the colony, and 5* millions were received from outside the colony, making over 77 million letters dealt with, besides over li million letter cards, nearly 6 million postcards, nearly 24 million hooks and ■pattern, jpckafe* fcba «ama maabex, of.

newepapers, afld nearly 1J million pe*. eels. Letters increased by U.H cent, letter-cards by 15.92, postcank 58.66, parcels 14.32, and newspapers .38 over last year. The conveyance of mails by sea cost £60,611, conveyance of inland mails, £53,981, and conveyance of mails y railway £33,665. -