POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 4988, 20 September 1884, Page 2

POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT.

The annual reports of the Post Office and Telegraph Department for the past year, 1883, were laid on the table of the House recently. The report says : — " Al- , though there was not that general expan- ■ sion of business which was recorded for | 1882, the operations for the past year were ' otherwise satisfactory. The telegraph I business received a temporary check from , the trade depression which prevailed in different parts of the colony. The transmitted messages increased only 29,211 in number for the year, as against an increase of 131,417 in 1881. While the condition of trade affected the Telegraph, its influence was not felt by the Post Office. The additional number of letters, &c, dealt with, and the increase of postal revenue collected within the colony, were about equal to the increase of former years. The. receipts from postages from foreign post offices were L 3678 less than the sum brought to charge under this head for 1882. This is an explanation of the .in- ' crease of revenue being less than the increase of last year. The combined postal and telegraph revenue for the last financial : year was L 269,184, being an increase of L 4549. The postal . receipts increased L 4683, while the revenue from the tele 1 graph branch fell off L 134. The expenditure for postal and telegraphic services was L 252,097, against L 124,447 expended the previous year, being an decrease of L 2449. The balance of revenue over expenditure for the year was L 17 ,086. The postal and telegraph revenue and expenditure for the financial year ended 31st March last was — Revenub — Stamps used for postage, L 132.00 0; money ; order commissions; L 961 1; private box and bag fees, L 4150 ; the postage from .foreign post offices, L 20,627; miscellaneous postal receipts, £10,223 ; „ordiniu?yi and .press telegrams, L81>683 ,• telephone exchanges, L7?46 ;

miscellaneous receipts", telegraph, L 307 1; total, L 269,184. Expenditure— Salaries, L 120,458; conveyance of mails by sea, L 60,46 7; conveyance of inland mails, L 26,11 7; money.; ; order : commission credited io foreign offices, L 1358 ; maintenance and repairs of telegraph lines and miscellaneous, L 48,318 ; cable subsidies, L 5350 ; total, L 252.097. The balance of revenue over expenditure was L 1786. The .withdrawals from the Post Office Savings Banks for the year exceeded the deposits by L 117,245. In 1881 the deposits exceeded the withdrawals by L 183,253. The unusually large excess of withdrawals in 1883 was not, it is believed, caused by trade depression, but from the fact that more profitable investments were to be obtained in other quarters. Reference to the table of classified balances would eeem to confirm this, as it is shown that by far the greatest number .of the withdrawals wjere made by the depositors who had balances at their credit of L2OO and upwards. The number of deposits made by those who may be regarded as the wages class shows a very substantial increase, and this tends to confirm the belief that this class of depositors had not to any extent to draw out their ' savings ' io meet current expenses; A Bill had been prepared and would be submitted to Parliament empowering the PostmasterGeneral to establish an inland and foreign parcels post.