¥.— 1

XV

The average cost of each savings-bank transaction, deposit or withdrawal, for the year was 4-29 d., and for the period of the existence of the Post Office Savings Banks 4'94d. The number of accounts opened during 1892 by means of stamps affixed to cards, the total number of such accounts open, and the amount at credit, on the 31st December last, are given in the following table : — No. of Accounts No. of Accounts Amount at Credit Postal District. opened open on of Accounts open on during 1892. 31st Dec, 1892. 31st Dec, 1892. £ s. d. Auckland ... ... 12 ... 124 ... 85 0 6 Blenheim ... ... 4 ... 105 ... 159 4 7 Christchurch ... ... 9 ... 586 ... 714 3 9 Dunedin ... ... 7 ... 354 ... 119 6 8 Gisborne ... ... 7 ... 21 ... 2 7 6 Greymouth ... ... ... ... 8 ... 11 510 Hokitika ... ... 2 ... 0 14 0 Invercargill ... 22 ... 13 12 8 Napier ... ... 1 ... 65 ... 38 8 4 Nelson ... ... 12 ... 305 ... 613 15 0 New Plymouth... ... 96 ... 25 9 1 Oamarn ... ... 1 ... 64 ... 149 8 2 Thames ... ... 3 ... 114 ... 96 9 2 Timaru ... ... 10 ... 127 ... 176 11 1 Wanganui ... ... 37 ... 101 14 9 Wellington ... ... 5 ... 179 ... 80 5 9 Westport ... ... 14 ... 13 18 9 Totals, 1892 ... 71 '.". 2,223 '... £2,40115 7 Totals, 1891 ... 119 '.'.'. 2,301 '.'.'. £2,451 7 4 TELEGEAPHS. 1,904,143 telegrams of all codes were forwarded, a decrease of 64,121 on the number forwarded in 1891. It should be explained that the figures for 1892 are actual results, while the returns for 1891 were based on periodical countings. It may fairly be assumed that there was an over-estimate for 1891. The proportion of forwarded telegrams per head of population was 2-96. 1,511,010 ordinary and delayed telegrams were forwarded of the value of £72,732 7s. 7d. In 1891 the number was 1,558,492 for £77,954 6s. sd. The press telegrams numbered 175,054 of the value of £8,309 lis. —a decrease of 12,569 in number, and £1,280 14s. 6d. in value, compared with the press business of 1891. The proportion of press to ordinary and delayed telegrams was as Ito 863. The average value of each press telegram was 11-39 d., against Is. 0-27 d. in 1891. The number and value of telegrams of all codes forwarded during the calendar years 1892 and 1891 were as follow :— Ordinary and Delayed Telegrams. Press Telegrams. Government Telegrams. Number. £ s. d. Number. £ s. d. Number. £ s. d. 1892 ... 1,511,010 72,732 7 7 ... 175,054 8,309 11 0 ... 218,079 24,342 7 0 1891 ... 1,558,492 77,954 6 5 ... 187,623 9,590 5 6 ... 222,149 24,840 5 7 The telegraph receipts for the financial year ended the 31st March last, including telephone exchange subscriptions, private-wire rents, &c, amounted to £104,756 6s. 4d., compared with £110,163 13s. lid. in 1891-92. The expenditure was £117,053 4s. 2d., compared with £114,644 15s. 9d. in 1891-92. The total value of the services performed by telegraph for the year, inclusive of £24,342 7s. for Government telegrams, and £927 35., fees collected on money-order telegrams, was £128,155 15s. 6d. The credit balance was therefore £11,102 lis. 4d. on the year's transactions, equal to a return of 1-57 per cent, on the capital cost. 35,078 urgent telegrams, of the value of £4,542 10s. lOd. were forwarded —an increase of 4,293 in number, and £363 19s. 4d. in amount, compared with the figures for 1891. 518,049 delayed telegrams were forwarded, against 562,927 in 1891—a decrease of 44,878, or 7-97 per cent. The proportion of delayed to ordinary telegrams was equal to 52-17 per cent., compared with 56-54 per cent, in 1891. 218,079 Government telegrams, of the value of £24,342 75., were forwarded—a decrease of 4,070 in number, and £497 18s. 7d. in amount, compared with 1891. Table No. 22 shows the value of telegrams forwarded by Government departments in the different postal districts. The number of forwarded telegrams to each hundred letters posted in the colony for delivery within the colony was 7-46, compared with 8-29 in 1891, and 9-12 in 1890. The number of money-order telegrams transmitted was 18,543, and the value £65,621 4s. 9d., compared with 18,800 for £62,407 6s. sd. in 1891. The telegraph fees on these orders amounted to £927 3s. Table No. 21 shows the number and value of money-order telegrams for each postal district. The maximum telegraph money-order was raised from £10 to £20.