THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1898.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11197, 20 August 1898, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1898.

The annual report of the Post and Telegraph department discloses highly satisfactory results for the year 1897. There has been a substantial expansion of the business of this important department of the public service in all its branches, and the Postmaster-general states that the increase in the volume of postal bxisiness has been somewhat abnormal. The department was entrusted with no less than 5,734,35G letters and other articles> this number representing an increase of nearly 10 per cent, over the preceding year. There was also a very considerable increase in the business of the Telegraph department, the number of telegrams despatched being 170,064 more than were sent during the previous year. The extra work that had to be overtaken I in eveiy branch of the postal service necessitated the employment of an additional staff. . The tabulated results show that the revenue of the Postal department reached a total of £272,163 while the expenditure with which it is debited amounted to £197,355, leaving a balance on the right side of the ledger of £74,807. The receipts of the Telegraph department amounted to £136,220, but , the expenditure was in excess of that by .

) no loss than £30,827, the figures being 1 £167,0-17. However, the total result of the year's operations in. the combined departments shows a surplus of £43,980, which must be taken to be extremely satisfactory. While the total increased revenue showed better results over those of the previous year, equal to 4.15 per cent., the increased expenditure was only 3.03 per cent. The balance on the year's transactions is better by £5563 than' that of the previous year, when the excess of income over expenditure was £38,417. j In the report Mr Seddon estimates that \ the value of official franked correspondence sent by post, together with the value of Government telegrams, amounted to g, total of £97,025, .equal to 23.75 per cent, of the cash receipts. The Postmaster-general takes pains to point out that if an allowance were made for these there would'be a credit balance on the year's receipts of £141,006, and it almost seems as if Mr Seddon penned that line of the report with a sigh of regret, since he is so fond, of conjuring with figures to manufacture imaginary surpluses. The total number of letters posted at the various post offices- of the colony reached a grand total of 30,260,204, being equal to 42 letters per head of population, or, including letter cards, an average of 43 letters per head. The -figures for 1896 were 39 and 40 respectively, so that there has been a teudency during the past year, from whatever cause it has ■ arisen j- on the part of the people of New Zealand to write more letters than usual. The actual increase was 2,385,851 letters beyond the numbor posted in 1896. The excess in telegrams realised a total of 176,064 above the number sent in 1896. During the year 78 post offices were opened throughout the colony, and it is interesting to note, from the last published international statistics, that in respect of post offices there is a higher percentage in relation to population in New Zealand than anywhere else in tJie world. The figures shov that there is one post office in the colony for every '520 people, Canada, coming second with a post office to every 535, and New South Wales third with a post office to every 645. people. The total number of post offices in operation throughout the colony last; year was 1524. In addition to fulfilling its proper function of carrying letters and parcels, the post office has been instrumental in collecting a considerable amount of revenue. Customs duties amounting to £95b7 were collected on dutiable articles received through the post office from places beyond the colony, and £1309 on account of ordinary customs work. The sum of £1724 from the sale of game licenses was collected, £62,633 on account of income.tax, £191,975 of land tax, £17,891 fees under the Live Stock Acts, £3508 for machinery fees, and £1380 for miners' licenses;. There was lodged in the post office for investment in New Zealand Consols £9815; i on behalf of the Public Trust Office | £302,355; railway receipts amounting to ! £15,338; and fees in respect of the registration of births, deaths, and, marriages ; amounting to £2053;.. The receipts on ac-,j count of the Advances to Settlers .Office j were £439,590, ■ and the payments j £452,810. Fees, .etc., were also col-i ldcted on account of a large number of .j other public institutions. The payments j made by the post office oh behalf of the j Treasury reached a total'of £471,861. ] The gross receipts dealt with by the post j office reached a grand total of £10,512,4-111 as against £7,644,390 for the ' previous. ] year. The figures prove th^t the post office,1, outside its-legitimate •■functions, is a valuable public institution, and even should its revenue fall below, its annual; expenditure, the public service, rendered would more than -counterbalance -any de- , ficit that might arise on the year's transI actions. There -i? all the more reason, i | therefore, for expressions of .approval '■ when the earnings, of the department I show a substantial surplus; over .the working expenses. The value of \the money orders issued, was £970,830, and of postal j notes £134,378. The deposits in the j Post Office Savings Bank amounted to j £3,187,219, while the ' withdrawals: totalled £2,891,169, ;showing that ■ the | facilities for keeping small banking ac- | counts by the post office are fully taken j advantage of by the people of the colony. The deposits lying to the credit of depositors at the end of the year showed an increase in the savings of the peoplo i of £433,290, which is a further evidence i ■of the increased earning power .amongst j the,class who do not keep ordinary bank- j ing accounts. A full description of the new postagel stamps is given in the report, the fact being noted that, oAving to a mistake in London, the.design intended for the fourpenny stampl was adopted for the penny stamp, .involving a costly process of double printing for the denomination more largely used than any other. . . .

Coming to the telegraph branch of the service, the total value of the telegraph and telephone business for the year ended March 31 last, including Government telegrams and miscellaneous telegraph receipts, was £160,725, being an increase of £7972 over the • business of the preceding year. As will be remembered, delayed telegrams were abolished, and sixpenny telegrams instituted in their place on June 1, 1896. If'a comparison is.made of the business, done by the Telegraph department for the year ended Maj 31, 1898, with the corresponding period of the precediug year, an increase in the number' of paid telegrams of 604,721, or equal to 31.7 per cent., will be found. The telephone receipts amounted to -£36,422, being an, increase of £7173' over the previous year. The working expenses, together with 5 per cent, interest on the capital cost, amounted to £35,008. As the' capital cost at the end of the financial year was £142,218, a deduction of £7110 must bo made to give the actual working expenses—£27,B9B. Why an exception should be made in the figures dealing with telephones is not easy to explain^ unless it is meant. to justify the raising of the rates by showing a very small surplus where there is a credit balance over the actual receipts and expenditure of £8524.