F.—l

V

Statement of the International Traffic on the Eastern Extension Company's European Lines in respect of the Cable Guarantee Fund, for the Four Months ended 30th April, 1893. £ Amount guaranteed for the year ... ... ... ... 237,736 Guaranteed revenue for the four months ... ... ... ... 79,245 Actual revenue for the four months ... ... ... ... 70,280 Loss on the four months ... ... ... ... £8,965 Half payable by colonies ... ... ... ... ... £4,483 Distribution of Amount payable by Colonies. Population (Census, , e a C h°CoTonv sth April, 1891). 0I eacn £^ olon yVictoria ... ... ... ... ... 1,140,405 1,499 New South Wales ... ... ... ... 1,132,234 1,489 New Zealand ... ... ... ... 620,030 815 South Australia ... ... ... ... 320,431 421 Tasmania ... ... ... ... 146,667 193 Western Australia... ... ... ... 49,782 66 Totals ... ... ... 3,409,549 £4,483 Statement- of the International Traffic on the Eastern Extension Company's Lines in respect of the South Australian Guarantee Fund, for the Four Months ended 30th April, 1893. £ Amount guaranteed for the year ... ... ... ... ... 37,552 Guaranteed revenue for the four months ... ... ... ... £12,517 Eevenue in the four months ... ... ... ... ... 11,629 Loss on the four months ... ... ... ... £888 Of which New Zealand's proportion is £162. Summarising New Zealand's total liabilities for the four months, the position will be found to be, — Payments by the colony — £ s. d. £ s. d. Intercolonial cable ... ... ... 3,295 10 0 International messages ... ... . . 815 0 0 South Australian land-line ... ... 162 0 0 4,272 10 0 Eecoveries—■ From other colonies ... ... ... 1,797 9 6 Under merchants' guarantee ... ... 825 0 0 2,622 9 6 Colony's net liability... ... ... ... £1,650 0 6 or about £4,950 a year—a highly satisfactory result, when it is remembered that the colony has secured very material reductions indeed in its cable rates, as will at once be seen from the following comparison:— International— Old Rates. New Rates. Ordinary messages ... ... ... 10s. 2d. per word ss. 2d. per word Government messages ... ... 10s. 2d. „ 3s. lOd. „ Intercolonial messages— To New South| First ten words ... 9s. 6d. ... 3s. Od. Wales j Each word after first ten Is. ... sd. And a corresponding reduction of rates to all the other colonies except Queensland. A special intercolonial cable-rate of Id. per word for Press messages for individual newspapers was also secured; and since the Ist April last the charge for Press Association's messages has been reduced from 3d. to Id. per word—the Telegraph Cable Company and the colonies sharing any loss arising from the reduction. New Zealand's outward telegraph cable business for 1892, compared with the business for 1891, is shown by the following statement: —