I

1900. NEW ZEALAND.

POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1899.

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

My Lobd,— General Post Office, Wellington, 21st July, 1900. I have the honour to submit to your Excellency the report—the sixth which, as Post-master-General and Electric Telegraph Commissioner, I have had the privilege of presenting— of the Post and Telegraph Department for the year 1899, with the usual statement of revenue and expenditure to the 31st March last. I have the honour to be Your Lordship's most obedient servant, J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General and Electric Telegraph Commissioner. His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand.

EEPOET. The year has been one of activity without parallel in the history of the department—the volume of business fully reflecting the general prosperity of the colony. Work on the postal side has increased very steadily in every branch. Letters show an addition of 761 per cent., while letter-cards and post-cards continue to show abnormal increases, and book-packets an upward movement. The telegraph business increased beyond the most sanguine estimate. The traffic, which for the two previous years showed an increase in the number of telegrams of 8-07 and 10-05 per cent, respectively, has still further increased by 16-25 per cent. There was a decrease in revenue of 0-94 in 1897, and an increase of 4-73 per cent, in 1898, which has been followed by an increase of 13-13 per cent, for 1899. The following table shows the revenue and expenditure for the year ended 31st March, 1900:—

i—F. 1.

Item. Postal. Telegraph. Total. Receipts. Stamps used for postage (estimated) Money-order and postal-note commission Money-order commission received from foreign offices .. Private box and bag fees Miscellaneous receipts Paid telegrams Telephone exchanges £ s. d. 277,851 13 10 18,999 13 6 596 16 9 5,837 10 0 22,015 7 10 & 9. d. 5,258 9 6 114,383 2 1 43,303 2 10 £ s. d. 277,851 13 10 18,999 13 6 596 16 9 5,837 10 0 27,273 17 4 114,383 2 1 43,303 2 10 Balance of expenditure over revenue (Telegraph) 325,301 1 11 162,944 14 5 20,298 3 11 488,245 16 4 Totals £325,301 1 11 £183,242 18 4 £488,245 16 4 Expenditure. Salaries Conveyance of mails by sea Conveyance of inland mails Conveyance of mails by railway Money-order commission credited to foreign offices Maintenance of telegraph-lines Miscellaneous Telegraph-oable subsidies 92,282 4 4 43,081 18 11 37,563 9 1 13,424 16 11 1,867 11 4 139,269 16 8 231,552 1 0 43,081 18 11 37,563 9 1 13,424 16 11 1,867 11 4 18,865 2 11 42,484 14 4 1,608 7 1 18,985" 2 8 18,865 2 11 23,499 11 8 1,608 7 1 Balance of revenue over expenditure (Postal) (combined department) 207,205 3 3 118,095 18 8 183,242 18 4 390,448 1 7 97,79714 9 TotalB !£325,301 1 11 £183,242 18 4 £488,245 16 4