F.—l

1885. NEW ZEALAND.

POST OFFICE AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1884.

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

Sib,— General Post Office, Wellington, 18th August, 1885. I have the honour to submit to your Excellency the report on the Postal and Telegraph Service for the year 1884, with a statement of revenue and expenditure to the 31st March last. I have, &c, Julius Vogel, Postmaster-General and Electric Telegraph Commissioner. His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand.

EEPOET. A satisfactory increase of business in all branches was the result of the year's operations. The revenue for the financial year was £284,245 2s. 9d.—an increase over the former year of £15,060 15s. 5d., or 5-59 per cent. The expenditure, excluding what was charged to Loan and the separate vote for buildings, was £256,497 16s. lid., against £252,097 14s. 9d. expended the previous year—an increase of £4,400 2s. 2d., or 1-74 per cent. only. The balance of revenue over the ordinary expenditure for the year was therefore £27,747 ss. lOd. The revenue and expenditure in detail are given in the statement underneath: — Revenue. £ s. d. ] Expenditube. £ s. d. Stamps used for postage .. .. 135,000 00 | Salaries .. .. .. .. 123,048 0 4 Money-order commission collected in the ; Conveyance of mails by sea .. .. 56,681 18 7 colony .. .. •■ •• 9,482 12 4 Conveyance of inland mails .. .. 27,09119 10 Money-order commission received from j Conveyance of mails by rail .. .. 372 7 6 foreign offices . *• 412 10 5 i Money-order commission credited to Private box and bag fees .. .. 4,225 10 | foreign offices .. .. .. 1,337 1 8 Postage from foreign offices .. .. 27,351 9 0 ; Maintenance and repairs to telegraph Miscellaneous receipts (postal) .. .. 9,595 810 lines, and miscellaneous .. .. 39,616 9 0 Ordinary and Press telegrams .. .. 84,568 2 1 \ Cable subsidies .. .. .. t 5,350 0 0 Telephone exchanges .. .. ■• 10,008 3 6' Miscellaneous receipts (telegraph) .. 3,602 071 256,497 16 11 Balance of revenue over expenditure .. 27,747 510 £284,245 2 9 £284,245 2 9

The revenue, however, does not represent the value of the actual work performed. The franked correspondence and telegrams forwarded on Government service, and for which no payment is made, have not been taken into account. The value of these amounted to £70,830 Is. sd. and £20,855 19s. 7d. respectively—a total of £91,686 Is. This sum added to the cash receipts brings up the gross earnings of the department to no less than £375,931 3s. 9d. for the year, or £119,433 6s. lOd. over and above the ordinary expenditure. It may fairly be urged that payment should be made for the whole of the work which in performed gratuitously for other departments of the Government service. Were such a change applied generally throughout the service, it is believed a considerable saving would be effected. £11,905 os.' 6d. was expended on new buildings, additions, repairs, &c, and charged to the vote for public buildings. I—F. 1.