F.—l

IX

The Post Office receipts for the year amounted to £325,301 Is. lid.—an increase of £24,825 Bs. 5d., or 8-26 per cent. The expenditure was £207,205 3s. 3d., as against £215,616 12s. Id.—a decrease of £8,411 Bs. 10d., or 3-9 per cent. There was therefore a balance of revenue over expenditure of £118,095 18s. Bd. The estimated value of official (free) correspondence was £76,195. The gross earnings of the Post Office for the year were £401,496, and the credit balance £194,290. Work performed for other Departments. Customs duties amounting to £15,849 18s. 2d. were collected on articles received through the post from places beyond the colony, and £1,537 Is. 7d. on account of ordinary Customs work. The sum of £1,937 12s. 6d. was collected from the sale of game licenses. Premiums_ amounting to £27,992 ss. 3d. were collected from policyholders on behalf of the Government Life Insurance Department. £527 6s. 9d. was collected for the Government Printer on the sale of Government publications. Income-tax amounting to £68,296 35., and land-tax for £217,893 13s. 7d., were received at post-offices. Fees under the Live-stock Acts amounting to £20,358 17s. 6d. were collected. The sum of £3,725 15s. was received for machinery-fees. The receipts from the sale of miners' licenses amounted to £2,147 16s. £12,460 6s. lid. was lodged at post-offices for investment in New Zealand Consols. The receipts on behalf of the Public Trust Office were £256,761 18s. 10d., and payments £254,056 18s. sd. Eailway receipts for £8,385 3s. 9d. were also accounted for through the Post Office Account. The fees collected in respect of the registration of births, deaths, and marriages totalled £2,309 2s. 6d. The Advances to Settlers Office receipts amounted to £457,781 14s. 10d., and payments £457,188 7s. lOd. Fees, &c, were also collected on account of the Audit Office, Hospitals and Charitable Aid, Goldfields, County Councils, Harbourmasters, Alcoholic Liquors Act, Arms Act, fishing licenses, Lunacy Department, Miners' Guides, public baths, Factories Act, Education Department, Justice Department, Homing-pigeons Protection Act, Eegistration of Brands, Hanmer Springs Sanatorium, Electoral Act, water-rates, and the Treasury. The payments made by the Post Office on behalf of the Treasury were £503,237 Is. lOd. Gross Eeceipts and Payments. The gross receipts dealt with during the year were—Departmental, £11,246,942 6s. 7d.;, on account of other departments, £1,756,081 3s. 2d. : total, £13,003,023 9s. 9d. The payments were —Departmental, £11,252,345 ; on behalf of other departments—to individuals, £1,330,130 ss. lid.; to Government accounts, £390,136 17s. Id. : a total of £12,972,612 3s. The gross receipts and payments were therefore £25,975,635 12s. 9d. for the year. Letter-carriers' deliveries. Deliveries by letter-carriers were established at: Auckland—Northcote; Dunedin—Naseby ; Invercargill—Mataura ; New Plymouth—Waitara; Wanganui—Eltham ; Wellington—Kilbirnie and Maranui. Letter-carriers' deliveries were extended at: Auckland—Cambridge, the morning delivery to take in Grey Street, between Queen and Alpha Streets and the Duke Street-Alpha Street block on the west, and on the east Queen Street East as far as Chapel Street, and the Victoria Street-Fort Street block; afternoon delivery, on the north-east, north-west, and south-east of the extended morning delivery, to cover an area about equal in extent thereto : Coromandel, about a quarter mile along the Tiki Eoad, and to take Colebrook's Eoad. Christchurch —City, to include St Martin's, Opawa. Oamaru—Town, about a quarter-mile along main road to Newborough Post-office, and to take in Tweed Street on the west and the factory-lane on the east. Timaru—Town, to include Marchweil, Waimataitai, part of Maori Hill, Newtown, Buchanan Paddock, Watlington, Caversham, and part of Kensington : Temuka, to include both sides of Murray Street. Wellington—Hutt, to Park Avenue and Naenae Lane. Newspapers registered. Twenty newspapers were registered for transmission by post, and seven ceased publication. Eeceiving-boxes. Fifteen receiving-boxes were established at: Gisborne—Whataupoko, 1. Greymouth—Wallsend, 1. Napier —City, 1. New Plymouth—Town, 1; Inglewood, 2. Oamaru—Town, 1. Thames— Greerton, 1; Paeroa, 1; Parawai, 1; Shortland, 1. Wanganui—Town, 1; Hawera, 1. Wellington— City, 2.

ii—F. 1.