F.—l

IX

The revenue derived from money orders amounted to £8,267 9s. Bd., against £7,582 Bs. sd. for the year 1881, the increase being £685 Is. 3d. TELEGRAPHS. There was a very marked increase of business generally during the year 1882. The number of telegrams of all codes transmitted was 1,570,189, an increase of 131,417, or 9-13 per cent, over the former year's messages. 1,361,817 ordinary and Press messages were transmitted, of the value of £81,770 4s. Bd., an increase of 145,968 messages, or 12 per cent., and £6,244 16s. 6d., or 8-26 per cent., in value. The number of telegrams of all codes and the value of each for the year, compared with the business of the previous year, will be seen from the following statement: — Ordinary Telegrams. Press Telegrams. Government Telegrams. Number. £ s. d. Number. £ s. d. Number. £ s. d. 1881 1,094,638 68,435 18 5 121,211 7,089 9 9 222,923 22,737 16 4 1882 1,207,219 73,036 5 7 154,598 8,733 19 1 208,372 20,608 11 11 T ( 112,581 , 4,600 7 2 33,387 1,644 9 4 lnciease ••• (10-28 p.c. 6-72p.c. 27-54 p.c. 23-19 p.c. -r, C ... ... ... ... 14,551 2,129 4 5 „ ~' n „ oc „ „ I ... ... ... ... 6-52 p.c. 9-36 p.c. The telegraph cash revenue for the calendar year was £89,876 18s. 2d, and the expenditure £96,005 15s. 4d., or £6,128 17s. 2d. more than the cash receipts. But, taking credit for £756 135., fees on money-order telegrams not paid over, and £20,608 lis. lid., the value of the Government telegrams, £111,242 3s. Id. will be found to have been the gross earnings of the telegraph, or an apparent profit of £15,236 7s. 9d. on the year's business. (Vide Table No. 29.) 39,941 telegrams of the urgent code, of the value of £5,769 65., were transmitted, being an increase of 7,467 messages and £1,322 7s. Bd. in value. This was an exceptionally large increase. Although the Government messages show a decrease of 14,551 in number and £2,129 4s. sd. in value, 208,372 Government telegrams, of the value of £20,608 lis. lid., were transmitted during the year. It would appear, however, that greater care had been exercised in using the wires for official purposes. Within the past two years the number of Government messages has fallen off by 37,998 and £6,412 lis. 9d. in value. This tends to confirm what was alleged in last year's report, that the wires were " used too freely, if not needlessly in some cases, for the transmission of Government messages." The average number of telegrams sent to every 100 letters for the whole colony was 13-00, against 10-79 the previous year, and this, too, in the face of an unusually large increase of letters. The mean average in 1877 was 20-71, 19-64 in 1878, and only 9-71 in 1880. Taking a few of the districts, it may not be uninteresting to compare the number of telegrams sent to every 100 letters in the years 1881 and 1882 :— 1881. 1882. 1881. 1882. Auckland ... ... 11-14 8-98 Dunedin ... ... 10-27 8-55 Christchurch ... ... 7-35 6-67 Nelson ... ... ... 22-33 18-11 New Plymouth ... ... 30-64 21-37 Westport ... ... 37-17 31-08 Wellington ... ... 22-75 16-67 The frequency of postal communication has an undoubted influence on the business of the telegraph, and this, no doubt, is the explanation of the low averages at Dunedin and Christchurch, which possess a network of mail services and enjoy frequent and rapid communication; and the very high averages at Westport and New Plymouth, where the postal facilities are irregular and at times unreliable. 15,133 money-order telegrams, for £60,263 7s. Bd., were transmitted at a cost to the remitters of £1,761 3s. Bd., or 2-92 per cent. The fees for the telegrams amounted to £756 135., the balance representing commission. There was an increase of 892 orders and £4,747 4s. lOd. in amount, against a decrease of 256 orders for £2,819 9s. Id., the result of the previous year's transactions. Table No. 27 gives the number and value of these orders, transmitted from offices within each of the postal districts. Auckland sent 20-10 per cent, of the orders; Wellington, 12-43; Dunedin, 10-18; Christchurch, 10-34; Napier, 6-15 ; and Wanganui, 6-95 per cent. Telegraph offices were opened during the year at Boatman's, Fordell, Methven, Paeroa, Pleasant Point, Papanui, Taupiri, Te Aroha, and Waihemo. Offices connected by telephone were established at Aratapu, Brunnerton, Devonport, Enfield, For&ose, Gladstone, Heawa, Kaeo, Kelso, Kirikiriroa, Kohukuhu, Kaikohu, Mangawhare, Malvern South, Mangawai, Manawatu Heads, Macetown, Northcote, Ngapara, Ngawha, Ormond, Ormondville, Papakura, Pinebush, Pahautanui, Paparoa, Sumner, Turua, Tiki, Takapuna, Taumariri, Te Puke, Temahere, Upper Montere, Whakatane, and Weston. The total number of stations which have been connected by telephone is 66. The office at Kopua was closed. The total number of telephone stations, open at the end of the year for the transaction of public business was 264. The Learners' Gallery was re-opened on the Ist February last, with a class of twelve cadets. Another class of twelve cadets, in addition to two railway cadets, are now being instructed

2—F. 1.