POST & TELEGRAPH REVENUE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2685, 3 February 1916, Page 7

POST & TELEGRAPH REVENUE

INCREASE FOR LAST QUARTER OF £44,357 RESULTS OF WAR CHARGES The Postmaster-General (Sir Joseph. Ward) communicated to a reporter yesterday some information regarding the revenue of the Post and Telegraph Department for the quarter ended December 31 last.

"This," said the Minister, ."is the first quarter ill .which results of the war charges ou postal matter and telegrams liavo been, obtained.

"Postages alpne show an increase of about.£63,ooo. Should this rat© .bo maintained tho increase for' a year "will bo at the rato of, say, £250,000. "The money-order 'commission again shows a considerable increase, and the money-order returns indicate that over £100,000 more .was sent by the pubpo than in the same quarter of 1914. ' "The postal note business shows the usual steady increase. , "The revenue from telegrams has exceeded that, of the same quarter of last year by £15,264. This rate, if. maintained, would givo an increase of about £61,000 for twelve months, which, in viow of the reduction in the number of Press messages handled, may be considered satisfactory, and quite up to the estimate.

"The Press messages have teen reduced in number from 116,827 in December quarter, 1914, to 80,875 in. the quarter just ended, but the amount received in payment for. them has increased from £5704 to £0345.

"The ordinary telegraph business has fallen oft somewhat, but t'ho additional charge of 2d. per message has increased the revenue by over £10,600. • , "Bureau communications, which were not affected by war rates, have continued to increase, producing a corresponding increase in revenue. "The telephone exchange figures show that, the amounts received ■ during the quarter were not so large. This is due to the alteration in dates of payment which has affected recent quarters and led to a very considerable increase in the September quarter. It will be some months before the figures of corresponding quarters can be properly compared. ' "The net result is that the total revenue of the Department'for December quarter has exceeded that of the December quarter, 1914, by £44,357, a result which may be regarded as eminently satisfactory. "The Savings Bank results have already been announced. The deposits amounted to no less than £3,458,953, and the withdrawals to £3,201,040, the excess of deposits being £257,913. In December, 1914, the excess of deposits was £433,347. It must, however, be borne in mind that during the December quarter, 1915, very heavy* withdrawals were made from the Savings Bank for the purpose of investment in the Dominion ,4i per cent Joan. Had it not been for this there is no doubt that the excess of deposits would have exceeded that of tie preyious year."