F.— 1

II

The satisfactory result of the year's operations is emphasized on comparing the revenue and expenditure year by year for the past ten years, as set out in the table below. To make the comparison more interesting, the figures for 1881-82 —the first year after the amalgamation of the post-office and telegraph services—are also given : —

Statement showing Revenue and Expenditure of the Post and Telegraph Department for the ten years ended 31st March, 1900, and for the year 1881-82.

The item " Stamps used for postage " is £22,852 more than last year. The revenue of both branches exceeded that of the previous year by £42,475 9s. 3d., the rate of increase being 9-53 per cent. The expenditure increased by £250 13s. Id., or 0-06 per cent. This small increase is mainly accounted for by the reduced payments for ocean mails, on account of the cessation of the couver service. The balance of revenue over expenditure was £97,797 14s. 9d., as compared with £55,572 18s. 7d. for 1898-99. Adding the value of the free official correspondence and Government telegrams, there is a credit balance on the year's transactions of £203,424 13s. 9d. The payment to the Eailway Department for the conveyance of mails was £31,612 Is., against which the sum of £23,441 14s. 9d. was paid to this department for the postage on railway correspondence, private-box rents, transmission of railway telegrams, and maintenance of railway telegraph wires. £9,192 was paid by the Post Office on account of salaries of Eailway officers who also act as Postmasters and Telegraphists or Telephonists, leaving a balance in favour of the Eailway Department of £17,362 6s. 3d. 35,032,452 letters were posted, equal to 46-31 letters to each head of the population—an increase of 2,566,577. The number of forwarded telegrams of all codes was 3,469,631, an increase of 508,893. 67 post-offices were established (including 5 reopened). The number of post-offices open at the close of the year was 1,620. 344,664 money-orders, for £1,118,808 ss. 7d., were issued, and 244,917 orders, representing £948,013 3s. 4d., paid. 461,447 postal notes, of the value of £147,686 Bs. 6d., were sold. £3,644,980 9s. lOd. was deposited in the Post-Office Savings-banks, and £3,417,298 19s. Bd. withdrawn. The total amount to the credit of depositors on the 31st December last was £5,320,370 14s. 10d., as compared with £4,957,771 ss. sd. at the close of the previous year. 1,007 inland-mail services (excluding services by railway) were in operation during the year. At the close of the year there were 6,910 miles of telegraph-line and 19,228 miles of wire. The net expenditure on telegraph construction was £26,771 7s. 9d. There were 7,150 telephone-exchange connections on the 31st March last. The subscriptions received amounted to £43,303 2s. lOd.

Year. Revenue. Expenditure. Balance of Revenue over Expenditure. £ s. 234,529 8 d. 0 £ s. 233,291 10 d. 4 £ s. 1,237 17 d. 8 1881-82 1890-91 1891-92 1892-93 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 1896-97 1897-98 1898-99 1899-1900 335,329 7 320,058 1 318,758 10 344,676 12 357,449 14 365,727 6 392,117 1 408,383 15 445,770 7 488,245 16 5 3 4 3 9 5 0 3 1 4 262,596 14 268,343 1 278,394 9 293,704 7 299,971 1 332,325 4 353,699 14 364,403 3 390,197 8 390,448 1 6 1 1 3 4 8 5 1 6 7 72,732 12 11 51,715 0 2 40,364 1 3 50,972 5 0 57,478 13 5 33,402 1 9 38,417 6 7 43,980 12 2 55,572 18 7 97,797 14 9 Total for ten years £542,433 6 7