THE Marlborough Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 21, 1888.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 314, 21 September 1888, Page 2

THE Marlborough Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 21, 1888.

The Post and Telegraph Departmental report, unlike most other reports presented to Parliament, is of general interest, the statistics therein contained being a more correct register of the state of tiro Colony than other more voluminous but less trustworthy records. The revenue for tho year was £40,973 in excess of expenditure, as against £14,167 for the previous year. Tire dillero ice is principally explained b.y the decroaso in expenditure, especially in conveyance nf mails by son, which amounted to nearly £19,000, the balance being; rmulo” up to amalgamation of postal and lolegraphic duties with i ihoso of railways. At the close of j :he year there were 288 post and i :oiegrapii offices, and Sol country | cost offices, of which 108 were; elophone offices. There were 10 adiqihoue offices only. 1 1 telephone ! xch.inges, and 88 telephone! bureaus. The army of employee# n tho department included 201 dorks and postal cadets, 306 operators (including cadets), 289 lostm'istnrs and officers in charge: m perma"“iit staff—lol letter airricis, 14 post office messengers,! 189 telegrapn weoseng-.r boys, and 1

46 lino men, m iking- a total of 2045. The revenue received was £311,608 19s, and expenditure, including; cable subsidies. £270,685 10s 1 Od. Taking value of free official correspondence into account, the earnings miv be estimated at £413,769. If the state of the Post Ol .ce 'livings Bank may lie accepted as an indication, then it may be assumed that a turn has been taken in the affairs of the Colony. The deposits during 1887 were £30.000 in excess of the withdrawals, and for the first five months of the present year the excess of deno.si.ts over withdrawals was £102,810. The amount standing to credit of depositors on 3lst December last was £1 813,0-81, an increase of £ 197,005 as compared with the previous year. There is a decided falling off in the number of accounts opened bv means of stamps affixo l to cards, there being 3172, covering an average deposit of £2OOO That sum represents the savings in pence by the children of the colony, and while so far it is satisfactory, it does not indicate) that the system has resulted in inculcating amongst juvenile colonists habits of “ haining goar ” to the extent that its originators calculated. However, that is not the fault of the system, but of the juveniles themselves —or, more correctly speaking, those who are responsible for the training of you h n ways that are frugal. As usual, die Dead Lettter Office statistics >s an interesting study. Letters,

owspapers, books, and other articles were dropped into boxes without addresses, and no fewer than 3741 registered letters were unclaimed. Enclosed in tho unad dressod and imperfectly addressed letters were postal notes, bank drafts, cheques, etc, to tho valuo of £2585 10s. There was also jewellery to a considerable value. 3945 letters were refused by tho addressees, and nine letters woro posted with previously used stamps, one of tho offenders being sentenced to throo months imprisonment for the offence. Tho business of tho Post Office shows considerable extension. In 1887, 39,377,774 letters were delivered and posted, being an increase of 1,298,182 on tho preceding year. The relative number of post cards was 1,007,693 —1,433,887, an increase of 173,800 ; books and parcels, 4,41.9,705 —3,467,059, an increase of 852,016; newspapers, 15,371,423 —14,324,047, ail increase of 1,058,376. While the business of the worst paid axel most hard worked department of tho Civil Service is progressing, retrenchment cannot be hailed as satisfactory to the officers entrusted with the administration of the department.