MUCH PROGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 134, 8 June 1934, Page 7

MUCH PROGRESS.

BRITISH BAROMETER. Post Office Business Exceeds Expectations. FLOURISHING CONDITIONS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 7. The Postmaster-General, Sir Kingsley Wood, in the House of Commons yesterday presented a Departmental vote of £39,453,000. He said the Post Office barometer continued to indicate that the nation was making much progress along the road to recovery. Results in the past financial year had exceeded expectations, and the postal revenue had resumed practically its normal rate of growth. It was noteworthy that the long and continuous drop in telegraphic traffic had been checked. In the period under, review the total inland telegraphic traffic showed a small increase for the first time since 1910.

Tho past year had been a record one for new telephone business, and the increase' in Continental traffic had doubled, reaching 1,250,000 calls.

Sir Kingsley said lie estimated that the total l'ost Office surplus for the current year would reach £12,390,000. Notwithstanding the additional cost of postage, tlie Post Office had received, sorted and delivered 100,000,000 more letters than during the previous year and was now selling about 20,000,000 stamps every day.

I The time had come for a substantial ' reduction in telephone charges, in order to stimulate the widest possible development of the service. This would take effect in October, when other important modifications in the conditions of that service would be made. There was an increase in 1933 of £21,000,000 in Savings Bank balances and the balance due to depositors, with accrued interest, had now reached the remarkable figure of £38,000,000. The general improvement warranted a capital expenditure on Post Office development during the current year of £8,400,000, an increase of £2,000,000 over last year's expenditure. This was to be spent, mainly on the telephonic and telegraphic services. It was the settled policy of the Post Oflice to use the air services wherever practicable, and the question of Empire postal air services was being examined. J The development of air services in I Britain itself was being carefully studied. Referring to broadcasting, the Minister said that on March 31 there were more than 0,500,000 wireless licenses in force.