POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1943-44

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1944 Session I, F-01

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1944 NEW ZEALAND

POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1943-44

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency

To His Excellency Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Cyril Louis Norton Newall, G.C.8., 0.M., G.C.M.G., C.8.E., A.M. May it please Your Excellency,— I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report of the Post and Telegraph Department for the year ended on the 31st March, 1944. I have the honour to be, Your Excellency's most obedient servant, P. C. WEBB. General Post Office, Wellington C. 1, 20th June, 1944.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL OPERATIONS AND BUSINESS OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1944 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS The receipts and payments of the Department for the financial year 1943-44 are shown in the following account: —

The total cash value of the transactions of the Department, including the above, amounted to approximately £568,000,000.

Receipts Payments £ £ £ £ Balance forward .. .. .. .. 39,404 Salaries .. .. ... .. 1,099,221 Postages .. .. .. .. 1,555,150 Conveyance of ocean and air mails .. 05,201 Money-order and postal-note commission 57,323 Conveyance of inland mails .. .. 178,483 Private box and bag rents and rural- Conveyance of mails by rail .. .. 137,892 delivery fees .. .. .. 04,099 Maintenance of telegraph and telephone Miscellaneous receipts .. .. 1,031,784 lines .. .. .. .. 448,434 Paid telegrams .. .. .. 520,801 Renewals and replacements .. .. 03,000 Paid tolls.. .. 1,195,190 Motor services and workshops .. 177,677 Telephone-exchange receipts .. 1,820,289 Maintenance of Post and Telegraph 0,251,242 buildings .. .. .. 87,211 Miscellaneous .. .. .. 1,550,472 Interest on capital liability .. .. 093,480 Sick Benefit Fund .. .. .. 4,911 5,105,982 Renewal and replacement of Assets Fund (investment) 1,145,000 Balance carried down .. .. .. .. 39,004 £0,290,040 £6,290,040 £ Balance brought down .. .. .. 39,604

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VISIT OF DIRECTOR-GENERAL TO UNITED KINGDOM Mr. J. G. Young, Director-General of the Department, left New Zealand towards the end of February to represent Government at a Conference of-the Commonwealth Communications Council being hold in London to discuss important questions dealing with tele-communication matters. During Mr. Young's absence, Mr. J. Madden, Deputy Director-General, assumed the control and administration of the Department. Personal Mr. S. A. Ogilvie, Deputy Director-General, and Mr. H. McGill, Divisional Director, General Post Office, retired on superannuation on the 31st December 011 completion of over forty years service. Mr. Ogilvie was succeeded by Mr. J. Madden, Second Deputy Director-General, who in turn was succeeded by Mr. 11. M. Patrick, Divisional Director, General Post Office. The death on the 29th February of Mr. T. Paton, Divisional Director, General Post Office, as the result of an accident while on duty, is recorded with regret. Comparative Return of Persons employed in Department Ist April, Ist. April, 1943. 1044. Permanent Staff—Administrative .. .. .. .. 17 17 First Division .. .. . • • • • • , 4,560 Second Division (including junior assistants) .. 7,320 7,335 12,020 11,912 Temporary and Casual Staff .. .. •• 5,576 5,309 *17,596 117,221 Non-permanent StaffCountry Postmasters and Telephonists, including Railway officers .. .. .. •• •• 1,622 1,611 19,218 18,832 * Includes 5,530 sorving with Armed Forces. t Includes 5,159 serving with Armed Forces. Officers serving with the Armed Forces The number of employees of the Department serving with the Armed Forces is now 5,159, comprising 4,990 permanent officers and 169 temporary employees. In addition, 197 officers have resumed duty after serving with the Forces overseas, and 693 have returned to departmental employment from service within the Dominion. It has been necessary to request exemption from military duty of 486 employees who are medically classified Grade I and who come within the age group for overseas service. The majority of these men are required in connection with the construction and maintenance of the telephone and telegraph communications systems, while the remainder are, for the most part, officers engaged in radio work directly associated with the Dominion's war effort. Roll of Honour It is recorded with regret that during the course of the war the following casualties have been sustained by departmental employees : Killed in action, 62 ; died of wounds, 20 ; death presumed, 56 ; accidentally killed, 25 ; died from sickness, 7 ; died while prisoners of war, 7 ; deceased (unclassified), 1; missing, 37 ; wounded, 165 ; prisoners of war, 149 ; total, 529. Post Office Honours' List The services being rendered by officers serving with the Armed Forces have not, been without recognition, and it is pleasing to record that 30 employees have received decorations and awards, and that 24 have been mentioned in despatches. War Staffing Position There has been a slight easing in the staffing position of the Department over the past twelve months as a result of the return to duty of a number of officers who have been serving with the Forces, and this has helped to alleviate the strain 011 officers. Staffing difficulties continue to arise, however, particularly in traffic branches, where night duty is involved. The heavy demand for juvenile labour in industry has seriously affected the recruitment of boys and girls for telegram-delivery work. To meet this situation it has been necessary to engage adults, both male and female, for the performance of this duty. The Department's scheme for the rehabilitation of its officers returning from service with the Forces is working smoothly. Rehabilitation Officers have been appointed on a full-time basis at the main centres, and at other places arrangements have been made for selected officers to undertake rehabilitation work in conjunction with other duties. It is the responsibility of these officers to make contact with returned men, particularly those suffering from the effects of war service, and to assist them to the fullest extent possible to readjust themselves to civil life,

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APPEAL BOARD During the year 484 appeals were received from 302 officers. These were adjudicated upon by the Post and Telegraph Appeal Board with the following results : Allowed, 15 ; conceded by Department, 7 ; withdrawn, 67 ; did not lie, 43 ; disallowed, 351 ; and in one case the Appeal Board recommended that the appellant be accorded the same grading as the appointee. PROMOTION BOARD ELECTION The only nomination received for the vacancy of service representative on the Promotion Board consequent upou the retirement of Mr. M. W. W. Cummins was that of Mr. P. W. Twiss, who was accordingly elected in January, 1944. REGISTRATION OF MOTOR-VEHICLES AND ASSOCIATED WORK At the 31st March, 1944, licensed motor-vehicles in the Dominion numbered 291,369. New registrations during the year totalled 14,254. Motor-registration fees collected amounted to £495,424. The premiums collected on behalf of the thirty-seven insurance companies authorized to underwrite business in terms of the Motor-vehicles Insurance (Third-party Risks) Act, 1928, totalled £335,726. Mileage-tax amounting to £29,595 was collected in respect of 716 vehicles. WORKSHOPS The total value of the work performed in the various workshops during the year amounted to £215,244, of which £43,731 represents the value of services rendered to other Government Departments. NATIONAL SAVINGS At the 31st March, 1944, the total investments in national savings from all sources amounted to £20,767,570, an increase for the year of £10,374,337. Of the additional sum invested, a considerable proportion is attributable to the impetus derived from the association of the National Savings Movement with the 3rd Liberty Loan. Of the total of £20,767,570, investments effected through the Post Office amounted to £19,048,777, and those through trustee savings-banks to £1,718,693. National Savings Bonds and deposits in National Savings Investment Accounts represented £7,749,711 and £13,017,859 respectively. For the year ended 31st March, 1944, the Post Office receipts in respect of national savings amounted to £9,431,124. Of this amount, bond sales contributed £3,062,487, and deposits to the credit of investment accounts £6,368,637. National Savings Gift Coupons to the value of £3,521 were sold during the year. Sales of National Savings Stamps amounted to £13,261. The total number of investment accounts opened up to the 31st March, 1944, was as follows :— Opened with Post Office .. .. 368,949 (including 7,041 groups representing 133,057 group depositors). Opened with trustee savings-banks .. 42,496 (including 1,142 groups representing 25,223 group depositors). 411,445 PATRIOTIC FUND : CONTRIBUTIONS BY POST OFFICE STAFFS Since the inception of the Post Office Patriotic Fund in 1940 a total of £18,212 has been contributed by the staff. The amount was disbursed thus : National Fund, £12,14-1 ; Provincial Funds, £6,071. STORES In 1942-43, owing to the closeness of the war to New Zealand's shores and the consequent need for meeting the requirements of the Defence Services for communication systems, the Department's orders for stores were extremely heavy, reaching the record figure of £3,816,466. However, in 1943-44, with the receding of the Pacific war front, the Department was enabled to reduce its ordering considerably, and purchases were less than normal. The value of the orders placed during the year 1943-44 was (a) within the Dominion, £238,855 ; and (6) abroad, £379,792. In addition, the purchases arranged for other Government Departments were (a) within the Dominion, £75,057 ; and (b) from abroad, £21,010. BUILDINGS AND LAND During the year the following departmental buildings were completed : Post-office buildings at Cronadun, Linton Military Camp, Lower Hutt, and Motueka; residences at Hokitika, Murchison, Plimmerton, Tauranga, Te Kuiti, Te Puke, Waipawa, and Westport; a store building and a garage building at Whangarei; a radio-telephone building at Seddon ; and a temporary telephone-exchange building at Carterton. The new post-office buildings at Owaka (completed March, 1943), Cronadun, and Motueka were officially opened in September, 1943.

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Additions were made to the post-office buildings at Matawai, Ohakune, Oliura, Petone, and Waipu, the lineman's residence at Murchison, the postmaster's residence at Te Teko, and the store-garage building at Kaitaia. Residences were purchased at Christchurch, Gisborne, Greymouth, Lyttelton, Napier, and Wanganui. Land was acquired at Cromwell (extension of post-office site), Eketahuna (for post-office), Featherston (extension of post-office site), Foxton (for residence), Gisborne (extension of store-garage site), Hamilton (for store, garage, and workshops), Leeston (for residence), Martinborough (for post-office and residence), Masterton (for pole storage), Morrinsville (for residence), Otorohanga (for store-garage), Outram (for residence), Piopio (for residence), Tauranga (extension of post-office site), Tikitiki (extension of post-office site), Warkworth (for store-garage), ancl Wellington (for post-office). POSTAL SERVICES INLAND MAIL-SERVICES Contracts covering the performance of inland mail-services in the South Island expired 011 the 31st December, 1943-, and were relet for a further term of three years commencing the Ist January, 1944. At the end of December, 1943, there were throughout the Dominion 35,750 rural boxholders, an increase of 773 on the figures for the previous year. AIR MAILS Inland During the twelve months ended the 31st March, 1944, the weight of letters carried by air within the Dominion was 110,923 lb. In addition, 18,760 parcels were conveyed by the inland air services. Trans-Tasman Am Service The weight of mail-matter despatched from New Zealand by the Trans-Tasman service during the year was 36,006 lb. Mail-matter conveyed to New Zealand totalled 28,018 lb. The average weight of mail carried on each trip was 375 lb. The frequency ol the service was three times a fortnight until the end of December, when it was increased to twice-weekly. Air Mails for Naval and Merchant Marine Personnel A scheme enabling memb'ers of the public to send to naval and merchant marine personnel overseas letters at a flat postage rate of 6d. per J oz. or special air-mail letter-cards at a postage rate of 3d. each was introduced on the 13th December, 1943. The Post Office despatches the letters and letter-cards to destination by the best and most advantageous means of transport available, air transit being given wherever practicable. For use in connection with the scheme, special air-mail letter-cards to which the appropriate postage of 3d. requires to be affixed are available at post-offices for sale to the public at the rate of two for Id. Airgraph Service The airgraph service continues to function very satisfactorily, and it is quite evident from the increasing use that is being made of it that members of the public appreciate this additional means of communication. Since the last report the service was extended to India and Ceylon, East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Nyasaland, Tanganyika Territory, Zanzibar, and Seychelles), Northern and Southern Rhodesia, South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius, Middle East countries (Aden, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, British Somaliland, Cyprus, Iran, Irak, Palestine, Syria, and Transjordan), Malta and Gibraltar, and Newfoundland. Up to the 31st March, 1944, 1,087,586 airgraphs addressed to members of the Forces and 253,859 addressed to civilians were forwarded from New Zealand, and 1,041,333 "Forces" and 285,563 " civilian " messages were received. Following the lead of the United Kingdom postal authorities, the Department made available at all post-offices during October, November, and December, a specially-designed Christmas airgraph message form for conveying seasonal greetings to members of the Forces and to civilians overseas. The form depicted two well-known specimens of New Zealand flora—bush clematis and tree fern— and bore the words " Christmas and New Year Greetings from New Zealand." The ordinary charges applied to these messages, of which 86,123 were sent to the Forces and 39,044 to civilians. NATIONAL PATRIOTIC FUND BOARD SCHEME FOR DESPATCH OF CHOCOLATE TO ARMED FORCES OVERSEAS Arrangements were made during the year between the National Patriotic Fund Board and the Post Office for the introduction of a postal chocolate service for members of the Armed Forces serving overseas. Briefly, the system provides a means whereby a member of the public may, upon presenting a form and paying a fee of ss. 6d. at any money-order office, arrange for 2 lb. of chocolate to be sent to a member of the Armed Forces serving overseas. The service came into operation on the 17th January.

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PRISONER-OF-WAR CORRESPONDENCE Outward.—Mails for prisoners of war iu Europe continue to be forwarded from New Zealand at every opportunity. Unfortunately, owing to the refusal of the enemy authorities to provide transport across Southern France, the Post Office has been reluctantly compelled to refuse the acceptance of next-of-kin parcels for New Zealand prisoners who escaped from Italy to Switzerland. Letters for prisoners of war in Japanese hands take a long time in transit. This is brought about partly by the fact that there is no direct exchange of mails with Japan or Japanese-occupied territory, and partly by the fact that the Japanese experience difficulties in regard to censorship of prisoners' mail. The latter is the reason for the requirement that letters for prisoners in Japanese hands be limited to twenty-five words. Inward.—Letters from prisoners in Europe continue to arrive fairly regularly, mainly via the United States of America. Letters from prisoners in Japanese hands, however, show heavy delay in transit. Some letters which arrived recently from Japan were received via London. POSTAGE-STAMPS The l|d. stamps of the Centennial issue were withdrawn from sale on the 31st January, 1944, and replaced on the Ist February by l|d. (red) stamps of the King "George VI series. Health stamps of two denominations —3d. and l^d. —bearing portraits of Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth and Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret, respectively, were placed on sale on the Ist October, 1943, and withdrawn on the 29th February, 1944. They were the first triangular stamps issued by the New Zealand Post Office. The value of the health stamps sold was £52,049. One-third of this amount, representing the health value, together with donations amounting to £10,044 collected by the Post Office, was paid to the Federation of Health Camps. MONEY-ORDERS, POSTAL NOTES, AND BRITISH POSTAL ORDERS Money-orders issued, postal notes sold, and British postal orders sold and paid during the year were as follows :— V aluc. Number. £ Money-orders .. .. .. .. .. 786,511 5,500,687 Postal notes .. .. .. .. ..2,215,572 945,293 British postal orders sold .. .. .. .. 23,371 8,075 British postal orders paid .. .. .. .. 9,979 5,659 SAVINGS-BANK Deposits lodged in the Post Office Savings-bank during the year amounted to £47,648,754 and withdrawals to £35,580,165, an excess of deposits over withdrawals of £12,068,589. The amount at the credit of depositors at the close of the year was £98,614,198, the interest accruing to depositors being £2,075,676. WORK PERFORMED FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS The total sum handled by the Post Office during the year on behalf of other Departments was approximately £158,000,000, an increase of £8,000,000 on the previous year's figures. The amount of Social Security Charge and National Security Tax collected by the Department totalled £20,006,385. MILITARY ALLOTMENT WARRANTS During the year 2,659,896 military allotments and dependants' allowance warrants were paid by the Department. TELEGRAPH SERVICES TELEGRAPH TRAFFIC Telegraph traffic has continued to increase. Compared with the previous twelve months, the number of telegrams increased by 709,54-7 (10-66 per cent.) and the revenue by £57,315 (12-21 per cent.). TELEPHONE-EXCHANGE SERVICES TELEPHONE DEVELOPMENT At the close of the year the number of telephone subscribers was 181,717 as compared with 177,030 at the end of the previous year. The number of new telephones connected was again limited owing to the shortage of telephones and switching equipment. In order to provide service for the maximum number of applicants, steps were taken to recondition obsolete telephones and equipment capable of rendering further service. The number of telephones so provided, plus the limited stocks which have been coming to hand from overseas, has enabled the position to be materially eased at those exchanges at which switching and line accommodation are available. However, there are still approximately 8,000 applications awaiting satisfaction throughout the Dominion, most of which are for service at the four main centres. Although the position is constantly under review, there is little prospect of any major improvement in the present position at the main centres and other places where switching and line accommodation

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arc congested until supplies of equipment can be obtained from overseas. Every opportunity is being availed of to ensure that the requirements of New Zealand will receive the highest degree of priority possible. . , Owing to the necessity for providing a large number of toll circuits for the exclusive use ol the Armed Services, difficulty has been experienced in maintaining a satisfactory service for civilian toll traffic. The improved situation in the Pacific area has, however, permitted the release ol a number of these circuits for civilian use, and provided there is no deterioration in the war situation some improvement in the toll service can be anticipated. The number of toll calls handled during the year was 18,087,043, compared with 17,618,832 for the previous year, an increase of 468,211, or 2-66 per cent. PUBLIC CALL OFFICES The number of public call offices (coin-in-the-slot telephones) in the Dominion as at the 31st March was 1,420, compared with 1,368 at the corresponding date last year. The total collections from the machines for the year was £97,355, an increase of 11-32 per cent, over the previous year's returns. INSTALLATION OF CARRIER-CURRENT TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT In the report for the vear 1940-41 reference was made to the commissioning of a new single-core co-axial submarine cable across Cook Strait and to the ordering of a twelve-channel carrier telephone system to operate over the cable. Due to war conditions, delivery of the carrier equipment has only recently been effected. The installation of the equipment has now been completed, and this, together with the systems previously in operation, has enabled the full planned capacity ol the cable, amounting to twenty-one telephone and eleven telegraph channels, to be obtained. The recent installation has made available additional long-distance toll circuits from Wellington to Blenheim (three), Christehurch (two), Nelson (one), and Greymouth (one). In addition to the twelve-channel carrier system, a number of single- and three-channel systems have been installed to provide additional circuits in various parts of the Dominion. NEW AUTOMATIC-EXCHANGE EQUIPMENT For the past three years the Department has had in hand a comprehensive extension of the automatic-exchange switching system at Auckland, involving the modernizing and extension of equipment at exchanges throughout the Auckland metropolitan area. During the year the final stage of the work was completed by bringing into service new automatic exchanges at Avondale and St. Heliers and additional equipment at the existing exchanges at Takapuna and Reinuera. RADIO SERVICES TRANSFER IN CONTROL OF AERADIO STATION On the Ist June, 1943, the Air Department (R.N.Z.A.F.) assumed control of the Mangere Aeradio Station, which was previously administered by the Post and Telegraph Department. RADIO LICENSING RECEIVING LICENSES The total number of radio receiving licenses current at the 31st March, 1944, was 375,455, representing an increase of 7,290 (1-9 per cent.) compared with the number current at the close of the previous year. 1 RADIO-DEALERS During the year regulations were gazetted substantially reducing radio-dealers' license fees. BLIND PERSONS The concession of free radio receiving licenses for blind persons who are the heads of their respective households has been extended to all blind persons, irrespective of their domestic status.

APPENDIX

Table No. 1 Receipts and Payments for the Years 1942-43 and 1943-44

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Other Disbursements. Balance of ~ ~ i Payments for Receipts over Depreciation Fund f.wrihntinm Year. KfJSjS j lteeeipts. Working- Working- Investment, t0 Post and' Interest on Bainuce forward. , expenses. expenses including Expend!-1 T , h Capitol , Payments. tote onJUmewds' Officers' Sick- Liability. and Replacements bene j t if U nd. i of Assets. j £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ 1114-2—1943 38,672 5,863,621 4,340,362 1,523,259 823,000 6,890 692,637 39,404 1943-1944 •• 30,404 6,251,242 4,344,591 1,906,651 1,208,000 4,911 693,480 39,664

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Table No. 3 Paid Telegrams and the derived the Number and Classification of Telephone- stations and the Revenue derived therefrom, the Number of Forwarded Toll Calls and the Revenue derived therefrom, and the Number of Radio-receiving Licenses

Table No. 2 POST OFFICE SAVINGS-BANK.— GENERAL STATEMENT Business of the Post Office Savings-bank in New Zealand for the Years ended 31st March, 1943 and 1944

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (010 copies), £13 10s.

By Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 944. Price, fid.]

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Number of i i Average ofthePolt Number of „„. . . . imoS Number Average Number I Number; Number Total Amount Aniount Offlne Deposits Total Amount \ ofV/Uh- Total Amount of Amount of Excess of . ol . . »' kecounts standing to the standing to Year - Saving received „ of Deposits Deposit drawals Withdraw?!, each witb -- Deposits over Interest for Accounts:Accounts, Credit of a11 ! the Credit nf th» r«r Year - the Year. „jne Ji ne of the interest to the Account at of the Year. *ear. Year Year oicne close of the Year. Close of ! . L_ I ! the Year. llu ■■ ■■ jg 2 ifi S .f 8 " " ™ d 7H,207 £ ,731 1 ?I,8M?8» 5 U124,022 76,809|l,086,99684,469.932 19 Vl 77 14 \ 9ot> 2,862,88247,648, JH 4 3 16 12 11 1,508,603 35,580,165 6 123 11 812,068,588 18 22,075,676 8 0127, 173J 85,233|1,128;936 5 ft ST 5 0

Paid Telegraph Traffic. Telephone Service. ! Toil service Radio-receiving — —— — —— ~ —-—■—-- ~ . . __ . . " Licenses. Ordinary. Press. SeIvice . , , „ ~ :— Phones and \ ear ended 31st March, o i,„ -i. -u 4- ■ Privatelv Subscribers Extension ■„ ?: P Number of Td»nhrm»- -d Main Stations, Revenue Owned a ™" Number of Total T 11 e !? p , h^ 5 Number. Percentage ,-, mK ,, , „ ,. Stations all Classes ,„/ ro ™ Phones ru ™™ Toll Telephone- P<* 1,000 of y Number. „ ° f ... Number. Value. Number. Value. (at (b) (a) and (6). connected rimoL Stations. stations. -„ °* . CaUs Households ! m ( '• with Public omces. Population. v< *"°- equipped. Telephoneoffices. ' . ! 1 m4 - •• 7'068'9O8 463'0*8 SS'SS fAll JE'SE S'S J'222'SI M42 l ** »•«» «». 4 * 1 j 17,618,832 l,lo5,726 368,165 92-3 ■• / ' 0b8 ' 928 J 46o,028 299, olo 61,773 178,707 oo,634 1,820,289 7,010 1,420 1,982 244,753 150-89 18,087,043 lllQsllQe 94-0