PRINTING AND STATIONERY DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1924.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1924 Session I, H-36

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1924. NEW ZEALAND.

PRINTING AND STATIONERY DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1924.

Laid on the Tabic of the House of Representatives by leave.

Sib, — Printing and Stationery Department, Wellington, 7th August, 1924. I have the honour to submit the annual report upon the working of this Department for the year ended 31st March, 1924. The tables accompanying the report show the nature, extent, and result of the year's working. Gazette. —The number printed of each issue was 970, the number of subscribers 411, and the amount received from subscribers and sales £2,436. Hansard. —The number printed of each issue for session 1.923 was 6,375, the number of subscribers 116, and the amount received from subscribers and sales £168. Stamp-printing. —Stamps to the value of £14,609,633 and postal notes to the value of £19,340 wore printed. Stereo and Electro Plates. —The number of stereo-plates cast during the year was 28,865, the weight being 24,846 lb. The number of electrotypes was 18,682, and the weight 1,730 lb. Rubber Stamps. —The number of rubber stamps made was 1,842. Railway Tickets. —9,447,408 railway tickets were printed, the largest number (1,632,535) being printed in November. Work of the Year. —During the past year all branches of the Department were kept fairly busy. In addition to producing the regular publications, the Department undertook the printing of the special booklets, folders, and leaflets required for distribution at the Empire Exhibition and by the Publicity Office. The aggregate number of copies printed amounted to 440,000, for which 25 tons of paper, to the value of £2,000, were used. In addition to this work several important publications, including Museum Bulletins and Monographs written by Mr. Elsdon Best, and Volume II of Cowan's " New Zealand Wars," were printed. The work in the Photo-lithographic and Process-engraving Branches was exceptionally strenuous. Apart from the amount involved in dealing with the general work in connection with the production of maps and plans for the Lands and Survey, Geological, and State Forests Departments, coloured posters for the Railway Department, and the illustration blocks for the numerous publications, there was the extra work in connection with the Empire Exhibition. Extra work was also created by the activity in the Hydro-electrical Branch of the Public Works Department, necessitating the printing of the numerous plans required for the Awapuni and Mangahao Power-stations. Paper. —Although there was an extraordinary demand on the paper stocks, these have been well maintained, and at very satisfactory prices. The last purchases were made while the market was low, which resulted in the amount expended during the year being very much lower than the estimate. It is difficult to predict what the future state of the market will be. Prices for printings and paper in that class have, however, reached a low level, and any change in the market may be in an upward direction. There has been an advance in the prices for the higher grades of paper owing to the increased cost of raw material, rags having advanced about 100 per cent. During the year the purchases in this Department for paper, boards, envelopes, &c, amounted to £47,092, and the issues £37,035, comprising some 51,300 packages of paper and board, and 8,250,000 envelopes, requiring a storage-capacity for 1,622 tons of material. Machinery. —Some of the machinery in the branches has been in use for a very long period of years, and is not conducive to efficiency. As it is desirable to have more up-to-date machinery in those branches, some of the oldest machines have been disposed of at satisfactory prices, and replaced by machines designed to give a much greater output. A quad-royal machine with automatic feeder and extension delivery is now being erected. This machine is to bo used for the printing of the regular publications. A Wharfdale machine fitted with a pile suction feeder is now being run on trial, and a satisfactory output has been maintained.

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Six Monotype keyboards were found to be very badly worn, requiring new parts to make them efficient, which would be very expensive. As they were very much out of date it was decided to replace them with modern ones. Eight of these were installed, the two extra ones being used for training those members of the staff who are desirous of becoming operators. Now arc lamps have boon installed in the Process-engraving Branch, and are a great improvement on those previously used. The artificial lighting of the composing-rooms in the old portion of the building was inadequate for efficiency. A new system of installation has been carried out by which those rooms are now excellently lighted at a lower cost. Stationery Branch. —During the year this branch dealt with 12,276 requisitions for stationery from other Departments, the total sales, omitting typewriters, amounting to £27,533. It can be readily imagined the amount of handling and packing entailed in this turnover, i'and credit is due to the staff for the very small number of errors and breakages that have taken place. During the year this Department has taken over a large number of publications previously sold by several other Departments, and these are now being sold from the Stationery Office. The number of subscribers to some of these publications is considerable, the sales and subscriptions entailing a great deal of extra work, which l , so far, the staff has been able; to cope with without extra assistance. It is intended that this Department shall ultimately handle the sales of all Government publications. Another addition to the business of this branch is the purchase and sale of new typewriters for Government Departments, and in this connection for the six months ending 31st March, 1924, 140 new typewriters were thus disposed of. We are conducting this part of the business on a 5-per-cent. basis, which, though barely clearing expenses, reduces the- cost of the machines to other Departments to a minimum, thus assisting in obtaining the result aimed at when the decision to enter into the contract was made. Stationery prices remained approximately the same as in the previous year, though manufactured articles showed a downward tendency. Accommodation. —The congested state of several of the rooms occupied by the various branches is considerably hampering the work of the staff. The lack of storage space makes it practically impossible to keep the large and assorted stock that should be kept. It is therefore necessary that additions should be made to the building so that these rooms may be extended to give the space required for the work of the Department to be carried out efficiently. This is a matter that should be proceeded with without any delay. Finance. —The year's working has resulted in a not profit of £876, after charging an amount of £8,478 interest on capital, and £2,803 depreciation on buildings and plant. This is slightly less than that made for the previous year, and is equal to 0-45 per cent, on the total turnover, and 046 per cent, on the capital involved. As, however, this Department does not aim at a high profit, but, instead, to turn out the work as cheaply as possible to the other Departments, this result must be considered satisfactory. Phave, &c, W. A. G. Skinner, Hon. the Minister in Charge. Government Printer.

Receipts and Payments Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1924. Receipts. £ s. d. Payments. £ s. d. To Sundry debtors .. .. .. 179,38110 0 By Salaries .. .. .. .. 82,835 15 1 Publications and publishing .. 3,133 5 0 Wages .. .. .. .. 28,702 12 11 Sales of machinery, &c. .. .. 121 17 0 Grants on retirement .. .. 211 8 0 Sales of second-hand typewriters .. 57 10 0 Overtime .. .. .. 1,410 19 7 Sale of waste products .. .. 123 5 0 Purchases, stationery, paper, &c. .. 41,503 9 0 Sundry sales .. .. .. 28 18 4 Purchases, stores, &c. .. .. 4,706 5 8 Refunds— Freight, &c. .. .. .. 6,084 9 0 Commission, S. J. Sandlo .. 214 3 Machinery (new, and repairs to) .. 4,013 10 5 Overcharges, freight, &c... .. 18 2 8 TyP e > *°- • ■ • • • ■ 619 8 7 Salaries and wages .. .. 97 17 2 Monotype extras .. .. .. 340 15 6 Postages .. .. .. 68 8 0 Monotype metal .. .. .. 444 17 2 Balance to Treasury Adjustment Fuel, power, gas, &c. .. .. 2,871 14 8 Account .. .. .. 4,527 2 7 Medical services .. .. .. 145 6 0 Office equipment, &c. .. .. 88 1 4 Postages and telegrams .. .. 1,145 18 10 Telephono subscriptions .. .. 45 14 8 Refunds of amounts overpaid .. 23 1 4 Window-cleaning, &o. .. .. 126 2 2 Proportion of rent, High Commissioner's Office .. .. .. 300 0 0 Motor vehicles (purchase, repairs, and upkeep) .. .. .. 847 16 5 Wages of charwomen, watchmen, &c. 2,291 5 11 Audit fees .. .. .. 100 0 0 Contingencies .. .. .. 119 15 1 Refunds to Departments for publications sold .. .. .. 8,082 9 2 £187,560 16 6 £187,560 16 6

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Trading Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1921. Dr. Per Cent. £ s. d. Or. Per Cent. £ s. d. To Paper and materials — £ s. d. By Sales — £ s. d. Stock at beginning 29,127 6 0 Manufacturing .. 101,529 14 0 Add purchases .. 32,015 18 5 Stationery and publications .. 27,532 15 5 61,143 4 5 Typewriters .. 2,241 7 4 Less stock on hand, 98-04 191,303 16 9 31st March, 1924 24,499 12 0 Discounts received .. .. 0-00 120 0 1 18-78 30,643 12 5 Stationery— Stock at beginning.. 11,395 2 9 Add purchases .. 17,480 4 9 28,881 7 6 Less stock on hand, 31st March, 1924 8,804 10 3 10-20 20,010 11 3 Typewriters— Purchases .. 3,539 8 10 Less stock on hand, 31st March, 1924 1,447 15 1 1-08 2,091 13 9 Wages (productive) .. 78,402 19 0 40-18 Wages (establishment) 22,499 10 11 11-53 Wages (Stationery Office) .. .'. 3,999 5 4 2-05 Freight (inwards) .. 5,373 19 0 2-75 Lighting (proportion) 300 4 0 0-18 Power .. .. 1,114 13 9 0-57 Fuel .. .. 1,057 17 1 0-54 Water .. .. 121 4 0 0-00 112,930 0 7 Balance to Profit and Loss .. .. 1012 19,74118 10 98-1 £191,423 10 10 98-1 £191,423 10 10 Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1924. Dr. Per Cent. £ s. d. Or. Per Cent. £ • s. d. To Office salaries .. .. .. 2-22 4,333 8 8 By Balanoe from Trading Aocount .. 10-12 19,741 18 10 Repair and alterations to buildings Storing and handling stationery for and plant .. .. .. 0-47 913 3 6 other Government Departments .. 0-32 013 9 2 Postages and telegrams .. .. 0-66 1,093 5 11 Commission on sales of publications, &o. 1-10 2,844 14 9 Freight (outward) .. .. .. 0-54 1,05 1 11 1 Rent receivable .. .. ..012 230 0 0 Insurance .. .. .. 0-05 94 17 9 Exchange .. .. .. 0-01 11 9 6 Discounts allowed .. .. .. 0-05 89 1110 Telephones (rentals and alterations) .. 0-02 44 7 2 Medical services .. .. .. o*oB 162 7 6 Lighting (proportion) .. .. 0-02 40 0 0 Proportion rent, High Commissioner's Office .. •• •• •• 0-08 150 0 0 Office expenses .. .. .. 0-21 400 12 3 Audit fee.. .. .. .. 0-05 109 0 o Wages, charwomen and watchmen .. 1-24 2,417 8 1 Compassionate allowance, Mrs. H, Hussey .. .. .. 0-05 100 0 0 Constructing tennis-court .. .. 0-04 80 5 11 Fire-brigade expenses .. .. 0-01 22 11 6 Grants in lieu of leave .. .. 0-08 161 9 0 Depreciation on buildings and plant .. 1-44 2,802 14 10 Interest on capital.. .. .. 4-35 8,477 19 6 Balance carried down .. .. 0-45 876 18 10 12-02 £23,430 2 9 12-02 £23,436 2 9 By balance brought down .. .. .. £876 18 10 Treasury Adjustment Account. £ s. d. £ s. d. To Balance carried down .. .. 14,000 510 By Interest on Capital Account .. 5.477 19 0 Unauthorized expenditure .. .. 595 17 0 Repairs to buildings and plant (public works) .. .. .. 399 0 9 Balance, Receipts and Payments Account .. .. .. 4,527 2 7 £14,000 5 10 £14,000 5 10 By Balance brought down .. ..£14,000 5 10

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Balance-sheet as at 31st March, 1924. Liabilities. £ s. d. Assets. Capita] Account .. .. .. 188,399 8 8 £ s. d. £ 8. d. Sundry creditors .. .. .. 12,443 17 11 Buildings .. ..44,178 8 0 Wages accrued due .. .. .. 603 9 1 Less depreciation .. 883 11 4 Bad debts reserve .. .. .. 215 15 2 43,294 10 8 Treasury Adjustment Account .. 14,000 510 Land .. .. .. .. 00,000 0 0 Writing-off Suspense Account . . 78 13 3 Plant and machinery— Balance Profit and Loss Account .. 870 18 10 Printing plant .. 17,519 6 4 Binding plant .. .. 5,377 6 5 Litho and photo plant .. 2,300 12 0 Engine-room plant .. 197 16 10 Monotype plant .. 2,057 0 4 27,512 2 5 Add purchases.. .. 4,009 10 5 31,581 12 10 Less sales .. .. 240 0 0 31,341 12 10 Less depreciation .. 1,404 4 8 29,877 8 2 Motor-van .. .. 738 7 0 Less depreciation .. 73 10 9 604 10 9 Typo .. 6,708 3 3 Add purchases.. .. 505 1 10 7,273 5 1 Less depreciation .. 363 13 4 6,909 11 9 Furniture .. .. 348 16 9 Less depreciation .. 17 8 9 331 8 0 Payments in advance .. .. 215 14 0 Sundry debtors .. .. .. 26,487 14 9 Work in progress .. .. 13,431 16 10 Stocks on hand .. .. .. 34,812 3 4 Stock Suspense Account .. .. 63 4 6 £210.678 8 9 £210,678 8 9 H. M. C. Robertson, Accountant. I hereby certify that the Receipts and Payments Account, Trading Account, Profit and Loss Account, and balance-sheet have been duly examined and compared with relative books and documents submitted for audit, and correctly state the position disclosed thereby, except that the accounts include charges for repairs to buildings and interest on capital for which the Department possesses no parliamentary appropriation.—G. P. C. CAMPBELL, Controller and Auditor-General.

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Return of Value of Printing and Stationery issued to Departments for the Year ended 31st March, 1924.

Printing. Stationery. Printing. Stationery. Advertising Office Agriculture Audit Office .. Bankruptcy Census and Statistics Cook Islands Administration £ s. d. 40 14 0 2,091 8 3 138 3 0 231 2 0 5,875 16 9 95 2 10 £ s. d. Patents Pensions Police Post and Telegraph—■ Head Office Controller of Stores .. Prime Minister's Office .. Prisons Public Service Commissioner Public Service Official Circular Public Service Superannuation Board Public Trust Office Public Works Railways— Head Office Accountant Chief Engineer Chief Traffic Manager District Traffic Manager Day Tickets Mechanical Engineer . . Stationery Clerk Stores Manager Stores, Petone Ticket-printer Time-table Registrar-General Sainoan Administration . . Stamp Duties State Advances State Coal— Head Office Christchurch Depot .. (irovmoiilh Depot VVanganui Depot Wellington Depot State Forest Services State Fire Insurance Stores Control Board Surveyors' Board ' Tourist Treasury Valuation £ s. d. 1,305 13 9 1,273 7 3 3,126 16 8 £ s. d. 83 17 11 395 12 9 1,945 1 2 1,300 0 7 249 18 0 91 11 11 192 8 4 150 2 8 836 I o 841 13 0 2,035 2 0 10 12 2 183 1 (i 70 7 8 1,071 12 9 1,180 1 0 17 I I 0 72 15 11 4,793 16 7 14,311 15 1 92 13 0 404 3 10 148 13 0 71 19 3 708 15 4 123 II I 357 12 11 107 3 11 Crown Law Office (Customs Defence Repatriation . .. Dominion Laboratory .. Education — Head Office .. Examination Branch .. School Journal Teachers' Superannuation Fund Electoral External Affairs Friendly Societies Gazette Geological Survey Government Accident In3,732 3 4 015 19 8 5,288 2 1 05 15 0 1,485 7 3 19 11 8 0 12 11 2 8 0 41 10 0 73 1 0 2,284 5 5 4,298 8 0 16 10 10 428 7 7 5,021 10 II 327 17 3 250 14 10 112 5 0 6,493 2 10 257 17 0 255 10 0 130 II II 32 7 0 0 7 9 0 18 1 32 10 I 902 14 3 46 0 0 101 15 0 12 5 5 2 5 6 1 4 6 1 10 0 surance Government House Government Life Insurance Health Hector Observatory House of Representatives— Appendix Bills Hansard Journals Miscellaneous Order Paper. . Statutes Immigration Industries and Commerce Internal Affairs Internal Affairs, Minister's Offices Journal of Agriculture .. Justice Kahili Labour Land and Deeds Land and Income Tax . . Land for Settlements Lands and Survey Law Drafting legislative Council — Journals Miscellaneous Order Paper,. Maori Ethnological Research Board Marine Mental Hospitals Meteorological Mines Museum, Dominion National Provident Fund Native Native Trust Office New Zealand Naval Adviser New Zealand Producers' Board 104 10 0 1,810 1 0 1,876 19 9 20 10 0 84 10 5 298 4 8 770 0 11 1.5 II 10 189 0 0 170 19 3 I,008 13 9 307 1 9 17,775 8 0 0 7 0 4 5!) 1,522 4 4 I,458 10 8 735 14- 0 322 4 0 1,119 5 4 2,507 19 8 969 4 3 42 7 2 5,022 17 7 1,205 10 0 4,352 15 9 05 2 0 1,153 9 1 420 7 0 1,493 2 0 105 8 11 1,V75 18 4 2,789 2 4 237 4 0 207 10 5 492 13 7 676 12 11 508 10 0 517 18 0 0 15 0 112 3 39 12 6 19 10 0 15 0 10 737 3 10 801 19 9 8 2 0 20 19 6 840 5 7 2,788 10 0 727 14 0 13 19 4 12 12 0 13 16 8 82 12 7 550 4 0 558 3 10 22 17 0 5 0 0 70 7 2 128 12 8 770 10 3 398 9 0 2,555 12 0 1,445 4 0 1,575 4 0 1,927 17 4 809 10 0 1,807 13 2 14 0 4,943 9 5 17 3 10 2,085 15 2 413 t I 588 8 II 471 10 0 7 9 1 3,363 9 10 9 7 1 193 17 10 606 18 4 343 7 0 Totals 140,782 5 9 33,275 10 3 48 9 0 47 15 6 71 I 6 4 2 6 Su 30 5 9 MARY. £ S. d. 8,820 3 11 12,083 12 11 8,910 3 5 12,301 11 3 15,509 1 10 111.198 5 11 I I . 800 12 2 12,440 1 0 8,019 I 0 10,105 14 2 10,780 18 9 19,092 18 11 3,390 9 4 368 15 0 24 7 1 463 1 4 587 19 10 400 18 6 428 6 1 119 2 0 109 4 0 405 9 3 391 15 0 13 2 10 229 4 6 35 19 3 151 7 5 389 5 2 04 1 1 140 11 4 1923—April .. May .. June July .. August September October November December 1924—January Ecbruai-y March £ s. d. 1,584 3 2 2,382 1 4 2,538 13 3 2,838 2 9 3,928 11 8 2,209 19 10 2,858 8 8 4.000 2 10 2,504 18 8 1,085 1 2 2,537 5 U 3,548 . 7 0 35 7 0 21 4 1 Totals 140,782 5 9 33,275 10 3

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Return of Adhesive and Impressed Stamps printed for the Year ended 31st March, 1924.

Approximate Coat of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (478 copies), £8 15s.

Authority : W. A. G. Skinkku, Government Printer, Wellington.— l 924.

Price. Gd.\

Description. Sheets. Stamps. Value. Postage Postal notes Post-cards Lettor-cards Duty Wrappers Railways Post-cards "1 n . , , . , ... f Letter-cards LOverprinted to conform with re-I Wrappers J duoed postal rates | Impressed 810,875 277,000 100,010 105,150 18,512 30,010 5,100 181,217,802 2,770,000 1,600,010 1,975,278 2,198,789 240,010 012,000 437,515 303,447 05,382 15,624,005 £ s. d. 1,062,064 5 0 19,339 7 0 3,802 9 2 9,207 11 2 13,401,504 0 0* 599 12 0 2,150 0 0 130,185 4 0 Totals .. 1,407,257 207,110,298 1.4,628,972 8 10 * included in this amount is 111,832,000, bi teing the value of a new issue of duty stain] of a high value.