A WORLD RECORD

Evening Star, Issue 22632, 26 April 1937, Page 6

A WORLD RECORD

The popularity of the telephone Tia* created an impression that the tele-* graph side of the Post Office business is a declining factor, but this is not supported by actual facts. Telegraph! revenue in New Zealand has fully kept pace with the. general recovery, and one of the most features is the frequency with which New Zealanders, compared, with other people in the world, use this means of communication. They, are in the front rank for motor-vehicle ownership, and well up the list for numbers of telephones in relation to the population; while,'in the use of telegrams, they are ahead of any other country. A complete world, comparison of the figures or telegram* sent annually per head of population is only available in respect to 1934, when it was demonstrated that in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, and South Africa less than -one telegram was sent per head of the population.-, Australia’s telegraphic total represented 2.1 telegrams per head of population, while New Zealand showed the highest' figure of 2.5 telegrams.. This position has been steadily improving, and in 1936, helped by the stimulus of the sixpenny telegram, 2.9. telegrams were handled per head of .population. New Zealanders thus leading the world in a telegraphic, sense.