POST AND TELEGRAPHIC RETURNS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 23

POST AND TELEGRAPHIC RETURNS.

SATISFACTORY INCREASES. WELLINGTON, January 16. Sir Joseph Ward (Postmaster-general) lias furnished the following particulars of post 4nd telegraph business transacted at 17 of the chief offices in the dominion on December 20, 21, 22, and 24, 1917: Stamp sales amouutod to £21,279, on jncreaso of 3.69 per cent, over sales for the corresponding period of the previous year. The number of bags and hampers of mail matter forwarded from the 17 offices was 39,673. Of this number 7834 were forwarded from Auckland, 7177 from Wellington, 5900 from Christchuxch, and 4456 from Dunedin. Telegrams forwarded numbered 83,412. Of these 13,600 were forwarded from Auckland, 82,000 from Wellington, 10,000 from Christohuroh, and 7000 from Dunedin. The telegrams received numbered 108,172, and the telegram transactiony—that is, messages received and transmitted onward to pthor destinations—numbered 155,741. The total number of telegrams (forwarded, received, and "transmitted") dealt with in the four davs numbered 83,027 in Wellington, 65,867 "in Auckland. 51.150 in Christchurch, and 32,830 in Dunedin. Next in order wer-> Wangaiui with 23,4-95, and Napior with 18,342. For all classes of telegraph business the increase, in 1917 over the four days preceding Christmas Day in 1916 amounted to 5.8 per cent.