E-i.

1880. NEW ZEALAND.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. (TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT.)

Presented to both Souses of the General Assembly by Command of Sis Excellency.

Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 31st May, 1880. I have the honor to submit to your Excellency the Twenty-first Annual Report on the Postal Service of New Zealand, being for the year ended 31st December, 1879. The revenue and expenditure returns, however, have been, brought up to the 31st March last. I have, &c, His Excellency Sir Hercules George Eobert Robinson, John Hall, G.C.M.G., Governor of New Zealand. Postmaster-General.

E E P 0 E T. The general progress of the department during the year has been satisfactory, and there has been a marked increase of business in all branches of the service, as disclosed in the several tables hereto appended. The cash revenue for the financial period of nine months ended 31st March last amounted to £115,680 14a. 3d. The revenue was estimated to yield £101,200, but the receipts were £14,480 14s. 3d in excess of that estimate. The expenditure for the same period, inclusive of outstanding liabilities, was £117,707 16s. 2d., or £1,436 13s. lid. less than the appropriations. The revenue for the current financial year has been estimated at £145,000. The number of letters dealt with shows a considerably larger increase than in any former year. The total number of letters, post cards, book-packets, and newspapers received and posted during the year, compared with the number dealt with in 1878, is shown in the following statement: — 1879. 1878. Increase. Letters—Received ... ... ... ... 10,251,570 8,236,002 Posted ... ... ... ... 10,706,248 7,288,699 20,957,818 15,524,761 5,433,057 Post Cards—Eeoeived ... ... ... ... 227,786 116,674 Posted ... ... ... ... 271,691 137,509 499,477 254,183 245,294 Book-packets and pattern parcels—Received ... 711,477 505,294 Posted ... 684,139 413,855 1,395,616 919,149 476,467 Newspapers—Received ... ... ... 5,649,579 5,097,907 Posted ... ... ... ... 4,408,365 4,312,459 10,057,944 9,410,366 647,578 —the letters increased 8499 per cent., post cards 96-50 per cent., book packets 5184 per cent., and newspapers 6'BB per cent. The increase of correspondence in 1878 over that of the previous year was: Letters, 1892 per cent.; post cards, 10783 per cent.; book-packets, 23 84 per cent.; and newspapers, 1666 per cent. The average number of letters posted in the colony in proportion to the estimated population was 2308 to each person. In 1878 the average was 1685.