F.—l

XVIII

The total number of telegraph and telephone offices open at the close of the year was 640. Of these 229 were telegraph and 411 telephone offices. A telegraph office was opened at the railway-station, Sawyer's Bay A telephone was substituted for the Morse at Capleston, and the office transferred to a store, owing to the decrease in business. Twenty-six telephone offices were opened, and two, Waikoikoi and Takapuna, closed. The offices opened were— Appleby Linwood Byall Bush Brougham Street Longridge Village Tadmor Canvastown Lower Moutere Taipa Clifton i Matamata Tawa Flat Ealing Mititai Te Mata Fitzroy Morrison's Waikoikoi Harben Pakawau Waimatuku Kiwitea Peel Forest Woolston. Kopu Buapekapeka Telephone Exchanges. Sub-exchanges were established at Woodlands and Mataura. There are now 14 exchanges and 10 sub-exchanges, a total of 24. The following table gives the number of subscribers or connections for 1892-93 and 1893-94 respectively : — -n, . No. of Subscribers or Connections iixcnange. Mar> lgg4 _ Mar> 18g3 _ Auckland 736 659 Blenheim 57 60 Christchurch .. 735 639 Dunedin 788 763 Balclutha 15 16 Milton 13 11 Port Chalmers 17 11 Greymouth 60 64 Invercargill 176 137 Bluff 19 21 Gore .. 48 40 Mataura 9 Biversdale .. 10 .. 8 Winton 6 6 Woodlands .. .. 6 Napier .. 222 175 Nelson 60 58 Oamaru 80 66 Palmerston North 75 74 Thames 83 85 Timaru 65 67 Wanganui 91 .. 81 Wellington 872 768 Hutt 1 2 Totals 4,244 3,811 The total increase in number was therefore 433, and the rate of increase 11-36 per cent. The connections may be classified as follows Paying, 3,862, free, 265, bureaux, 117 total, 4,244. The telephone-exchange receipts during the financial year amounted to £21,771 4s. 4d., as compared with £19,155 lis. sd. the previous year The working-expenses, interest on capital cost, and allowance for depreciation for the year amounted to £22,217 10s. 2d. The total expenditure in connection with the telephone-exchange system to 31st December, 1893, was £117,680 4s. Bd.

The following is extracted from the reports of the District Inspectors of Telegraphs:— Auckland District. It has only been found necessary to construct some 12 miles of new line in the district during the past year for the purpose of opening telephone offices at Te Mata, Kopu, Leigh, Tokatoka, and Tokatoka Wharf. Six miles of line have been reconstructed, and 484 miles overhauled, 500 poles rebutted, and the lines throughout the district generally strengthened. The lines are in good order and will require nothing special doing for the present.