The Press. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1869.

Press, Volume XV, Issue 1995, 7 September 1869, Page 2

The Press. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1869.

B$ the last mail from Wellington we have received the report of the working and progress of the New Zealand Telegraph Department for the year ending June 30th, 1869, being the fifth year that the telegraph has been in operation. The report, like that of the Postmaster-GeneiaUs exceedingly fully and contains much interesting information. It was presented to His Excellency by Mr. Vogel, in his capacity of Telegraph Commissioner, but was drawn up and is signed by Mr. C. Lemon, the General Manager. Buring the past year two lines that were in course of construction during the year before have been completed. One is feoai Greyniou& to Westport,

a distance of six'y.-scyen miles, in continuation of the Hokitika aud Greymouth line; the other, an entire reconstruction of the line between Blenheim and Woodend, a distance of 194 I miles. The lines now in course of construction are, that from Wellington to Wanganui, the Taupo line, and a line from Hamilton, to Cambridge, part of the Auckland and Waikato line. Of these the progress of the first has been retarded by the unwillingness of certain natives to allow it to pass over their land, but that difficulty is expected to be shortly removed, in which case telegraphic communication will be opened with Wanganui in three months' time The Taupo line has of course been greatly delayed by native troubles; but it has been carried forty miles beyond Napier, and, if the political difficulties can be overcome, Auckland will be reached, by way of Tauranga and the Thames, by June next. Endeavours have been made to carry a line from Auckland to the Thames goldfields, but as it must necessarily cross native land the consent of the owners bad to be obtained, and the negotiations entered into for that purpose have as yet led to no satisfactory result.

Several sections of the main line have undergone considerable repairs during the year, especially between Dunedin and Oamaru, Christchurch and Hokitika, Blenheim and Nelson ; and there are other parts which will require equal attention next year. One of the most constant sources of trouble is said to be the bad quality of the wood used for telegraph poles. This will be obviated in future by using nothing but totara, which experience has proved to be better adapted for the purpose than any other New Zealand timber. In order to prevent the frequent interruption between Christchurch and Waitaki, caused by the line being swept away by floods in the large rivers that have to be crossed in this section, it was determined to drive heavy iron-bark piles into the beds of the rivers to Buch a depth as would render them safe from disturbance by floods, and to fix to the upper portion of the piles the poles on which the wires are carried. The plan has been tried with complete success. Two piles have been driven in the Kakaia and on the Ashburton, in each case to a depth of twenty-one feet, and four similar piles have also been driven into the bed of the "Waitaki. So long as these piles remain sound it is hoped that there will be no recurrence of the stoppages of communication which have been so frequent, and have caused so . much inconvenience to the public and loss to the department.

The cost of the new line from Greymouth to Westport was £7002 17s, and of the reconstruction of that between Blenheim and Woodend £10,743 19s 9d. The former was at the rate of £104* 10s 8d a-mile, being the most expensive that has yet been made. The difficulty of the work was very great, and was much increased by the extreme wetness of the weather while it was going on, which added largely to the time occupied and to the cost. A. large proportion of the holfes were in rock or cement; while portions of the line had to be carried across swamps, where the poles sunk by their own weight, from five to seven feet before reaching solid bottom. " All the poles in these swamps have been rendered thoroughly stable by driving pointed stakes from seven to ten feet m length into the solid bottom closely round the pole, and making good the surface with shingle carried for that purpose." This line was erected at the instance of the Provincial Government of Nelson, who have guaranteed six per cent, on the cost of construe tion, as well as any deficiency between the receipts of the line and the cost of working it. In spite of the expense incurred the line has proved profitable, the cash receipts being nearly £100 in excess of the cost of maintenance and the percentage guaranteed.

| The length of the line in the Middle Island from the Bluff to Westland is 957 miles, and in the North Island miles ; making a total, exclusive of the North Napier and Wanganui lines in progress, of 1329£ miles. The entire cost of erection in the Middle Island has been £65,288 3s lOd, and in the North Island £17,753 13s 9d; and the cost of the Cook's Strait cable, including freight from London and expense of laying, £29,864; making a total expenditure of £112,905 17s 7d. The cost per mile of the construction of the line has been £62 8s 9d ; and the cost of maintenance per mile during the past year was £6 8s 6d.

The number of telegrams of all kinds transmitted during the year was 156,167, or 53,180 more than during the previous year; an increase which Mr. Lemon ascribes partly to the opening of the Greymouth and Westport line, partly to the general inclination of the public to avail themselves of the increased facilities for telegraphic communication. The total value of these messages was £31,080

13s lOdj but 50,007, to the value o* £13,430 lis 9.1. Were sent by the General Government. Of this sum the shipping telegrams accounted for nearly one half, or £6478 lis sd< Looking to the rrturu of ordinary telegrams, which show the business done by the general public, exclusive of messages transmitted on account of the press, or by the General or Provincial Governments, we find the total number to be 97,738, to tbe value of £14.193 7s Id. The people of Dunedin employ the telegraph most, the number of messages from thence during the year being 16,707, to the value of £2495 13s. Christchurch comes next with 9911 messages, value £1591 7s Id; then Hokitika with 6599 messages, yalne £1407 10s 7d; then Wellington with 7472 messages, value £1311 5s sdl The cash revenue derived from private, press, and Provincial Government telegrams, and from guarantees, amounted to £1&J520 10s 4d ; of which but £542 0s 3d was received on the Auckland lines, which at present are useful for political purposes only. The cost of the maintenance of stations, including the head office, on theiinJß*. from the Bluff to Napier, was £13,065 6s 6d, and of the maintenance of the lines, £7022 0s lOd; total, £20,087 7s 4d. On the Auckland lines the maintenance of stations cost £1201 6s Id, and of the lines £1525 3s lid ; total, £2726105. The total expenditure of the whole department was therefore £22,813 17s 4d.

The Learners' Gallery, which was organised in 1868, seems to have proved very successful, nine cadets having been drafted from it during the past year to stations where operators were required. As a proof of the general efficiency of the department Mr. Lemon mentions that the registered number of complaints made by the public during the year were only nine, six for telegrams late delivered and three for errors in wording. Each case was strictly investigated, and the offenders severely punished. We think Mr. Lemon is fully justified in his remark that "taking into consideration that the number of telegrams transmitted amounted to 156,157, it may be fairly eaid that the number of complaints for such an amount of work is very small, and also that it evinces great care aud attention on the part of the staff engaged in the transmissions, receipt and delivery of telegrams."