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for the transit of correspondence for a period of three years, was taken last November, and, although it involved a large amount of additional work, more especially as all the weights had to be stated in grammes, it was undertaken by the staff without extra expense to the department. Table No. 17 exhibits t)he result of the special counting, reduced from weights to numbers, and conveys some idea of the ramifications of the business of the department. As the total combined weights of all mails despatched from the colony is required to be ascertained for the payment of our mail-services, and as the bulk figures for the whole year were thus available, little difficulty was experienced in arriving, on the basis of the special counting, at the approximate number of each class of mail-matter for every destination for the year Under "The Post Office Acts Amendment Act, 1893," the currency of all postal notes is made unlimited in time, and authority is given the Governor in Council to issue postal notes in such form as he may prescribe. A new one-pound postal note is to be put into circulation in October next, under the new conditions, and a five-pound note will be issued about the beginning of next year Power is also given under that Act to destroy newspapers or other papers containing indecent matter, experience having shown that such power was required. The Act also provides for the payment of compensation not exceeding £2 for the loss of any registered letter, on production of satisfactory evidence, and subject to such regulations as may be issued. This provision gives effect to the requirement of Article VIII. of the Postal Union Convention. The introduction of letter-cards is also provided for The postage on letter cards was fixed by the late Postal Conference at If d. per card for town, inland, and intercolonial delivery The cards, which will shortly be issued for circulation, may be forwarded to other countries if prepaid at letterrates. A Bill consolidating the several Post Office Acts, and incorporating parts of the Savings Banks Acts of 1867 and 1869 and "The Gaming and Lotteries Act, 1885," has been prepared, and will be introduced into Parliament this session. The contract for advertising on the backs of telegraph-forms and postage-stamps has lapsed. The venture not proving a satisfactory one, the contractors exercised their right to determine the agreement. The General Post Office, Circulation Branch, and Telegraph Office, Wellington, were lighted by electricity in December last, the installation being carried out by the department. The Government having subsequently contracted with the New Zealand Electrical Syndicate (Limited) to light Parliament Buildings and Government offices, it was decided that the General Bost Office building and the Telephone Exchange should also be lighted by the syndicate. Telegraph cable communication between New Caledonia and Bundaberg (Queensland) was established in October last. The rates for ordinary messages from New Zealand are : For the first ten words 12s. 2d., and each additional word Is. 2d. The New Zealand outward cable traffic for 1893 largely exceeded that for 1892. The number of ordinary messages increased from 18,688, of the value of £22,856 9s. 6d. in 1892, to 34,407 messages, and £28,687 12s. in 1893 —an increase of 15,719 messages, and £5,831 2s. 6d. in amount. The outward international business was, — Messages. Value. Number. £ s. d. 1892 . 2,930 11,279 10 9 1893 6,114 .. 20,934 0 10 An increase in 1893 of 3,184 Increase £9,654 10 1 The outward intercolonial cable traffic was therefore, — Messages. £ s. d. 1892 . ... 15,758 11,576 18 9 1893 28,293 .. 7,753 11 2 Increase 12,535 Decrease £3,823 7 7 While the number of intercolonial messages increased by no less than 7955 per cent., the value decreased 33-03 per cent. —a result at once explained when it is remembered that the intercolonial cable-rates have been reduced by over three-fourths — i.e., from Bs. 6d. to 2s. for the first ten words, and from Is. to 3d. for each additional word. The increase in the cable Press traffic, which was expected to follow the reduction from 3d. to Id. per word, introduced on the Ist of April last year, has not been realised, as the following figures show: —

orwan leoeivei Number of Number of 'ear. Value. Value. Messages. Words. Messages, Words. .891 .892 .893 837 791 796 45,285 44,263 57,390 £ s. 932 15 898 3 504 9 d. 8 9 9 2,828 2,884 2,883 198,935 197,477 202,170 £ s. d. 2,739 6 0 2,796 9 4 1,540 17 10