POST AND TELEGRAPH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 4

POST AND TELEGRAPH.

STEADY INCREASE IN REVENUE. TELEPHONES AND WIBELESS. . The revenue of the Post aud Telegraph Dcpui'tmctii continues to .show a steady increase. 11 exceeds the expenditure, for lli« year by Jt»S,7BS 18s. Oil. Savings Bank deposits reached the Mini of JU1,G27;31i7 11s. 3d., ami the nininnt of interest allowed to depositors was £472,67-1 18s. sd. The total amount now slaudinc to credit of depositors is .b15,513,18ti Ills. Bd., eqnnl to JCU 9s. Id. per head of ilio population of the Dominion. Money, orders wove issued to (lie value of Jp.2,759,393 Bs. 5(1., anil postal notes to (he value of JC5G5,0',)0 Bs. lid. The- revenue from telephone exchanges was .£170,123 18s; 8(1. i Mail contracts for Ilio ensuing triennium will 1)8 re-let from the beginning of next year. In calling for lenders pnrticular attention will be paid to tho wanls of settlers in remote districts, and tho fullest consideration' will bo given to the extension of the rural-delivery system. AYhere it i= found tliat conditions warrant tho employment ..of , sjlf-Tironcllod • vehicle?, - thtoe; will 'be adopted. Tho . question, however, is on? which irequires to bo approached wil.lt caution. A considerable, extension nf the pnrcolpost system is contemplated. The Telephone System, The Chief Electrician o£ the Department has returned from America, and Europe, nfter invcstisatiuß (ho most modern developments of tho telephone System. As the result of his rocoininenda(ions, (he establishment of automatic Iclephniip exchanges,jn (lie, four Iqrge centres and elsewhere "iV cVtirein'pJaivd. ~' It is proposed to spread (lie work over a period of about five years. There hns been considerable telephone-exchange extension during 'he year, .and. thirteen new exchange.* wore opened. Provision has been made for pnTly-linc telephone service, by which a number of' , subscribers mnv lie connected with the.samo wire ab reduced rates, the Department taring, tlio capital rost of Hi? wire to i\ much crrcVftrr (IMauc than formerly. This is fouijd to niPL't tbe requirement'; of.nmny vlio have hitherto felt the charge* too heavy, anil Hie <?rvice is brinr if-Til to n larso extent:/ Demands for telephone communication b'.twcfn centres of population emi■liltne lo be made, ond where Ihc-e fieilit.ift nre fmnid to hr jir-ceswiry evi-ry rffnrt is mode to provide cirenil* to enable couvorfiition* to be (ibtalned -.villi ns much primplilucic and ore uraclienlile.' The lvt cxv.cnditure ont of tho Public 'AVcHrs Vwtl for teli-rnnh extension was .C'l-IT.(i!)2 G«; Sd. Dnrinsr the year eonstrnciion work , --'were pnvriel oui (otollinc; •ifin mile* of rol«« ond miles of wire. Confidcrnble maintennnen work was undertaken, several sertibiis of line. aVnil I.WI inilcf in nil. hnvir.s Inen nvrl ■«t: , en(;lhen"ii. Dnrinir th" year 1H new .telegraph offices tvero opened. y/irolcss. The groat importance, of wireless telegraphy warrants the exertion ■of special efforts to complete the system in this Dominion. The station in (ho post office tower at Wellington has been doing excellent worl;. Tho permanent station on the Tinnkori Hills will bo ready immediately. It is expected that when it is in operation the facilities for communications between ship and shore will be cqnsidorably improved. The experience gained in wireless telegraphy has satisfied the Postmaster-Gene,; al that a wireless station with :v radius of about 2.i0 miles during the day and 300 miles at night can be erected on the roof of the Auckland new post office. The work is now in hand, and tho station should be in working ordar bv September. The contractors lor tho h'iglwpower station at Awauui, near Doubtless Bay, which is to have a daylight range (if 1250 miles, have been at 'work for some time upon the erection of the masts and apparatus, and no great tinio should elapse -More-tho' station is ready for trial. The site of tho highpower station at the Bluff has been chosen and surveyed for foundations and buildings, which will be begun soon. It is expected that (he contractor will continence the installation of tho Bluff station ou completion of tho work at Awnnui. Tho remaining stations to be considered aro one at AVestport. or Groymouth, one at the < Chatham Islands, and a medium-power station at Karotonga, to work in- conjunction with tho stations at Fiji and with ono to be erected by the French Government at Tiihiti. . _ AVilh ft view to a practical solution of the difficulty which exists in providing telephone oiliees for country settlers, it has been decided that in future the Post Office will bear two-thirds, instead of onehalf, of the annual loss on lines subsidised by settlers, i ■