F,—l

XX

Peninsular and Oriental and Orient Lines (Federal Mail-service). De. £ s. d. £ s. d. Payments to P. and O. and Orient lines ... ... 5,774 16 4 Transit charges across Australia ... ... ... 414 12 9 Transit charges across Europe ... ... ... 666 9 7 Gratuities (to and from Australia) ... ... ... 2,184 12 4 _ 9,040 11 0 Oβ. Postages collected in the colony ... ... ... 5,085 14 4 Postages from London and foreign offices ... ... 1,088 16 8 6,174 11 0 Net cost to the colony ... ... ... £2,866 0 0 The number of letters, post-cards, books, and newspapers conveyed from and to the United Kingdom by the Peninsular and Oriental and Orient packets were : Eeceived—soo,3B2 letters, 6,078 post-cards, 310,093 books, and 1,273,818 newspapers ; despatched—2o9,B77 letters, 2,549 post-cards, 56,620 books, and 248,360 newspapers. The maximum, minimum, and average number of days within which the mails were delivered at and from London and Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, and Bluff during 1900 by the San Francisco service and by the Peninsular and Oriental and Orient Lines was : — San Francisco Service. P. and O. Line. Orient Line. Max. Mm. Average. Max. Mm. Average. Max. Mm. Average. London to Auckland.. .. 34 31 31-71 .. 45 38 39-38 .. 46 37 39-15 Auckland to London.. .. 32 30 30-85 .. 47 38 40-36 .. 44 38 4074 London to Wellington .. 35 32 32-86 .. 48 38 4035 .. 43 38 39-96 Wellington to London .. 33 31 32-69 .. 49 37 41-20 .. 46 37 42-14 London to Dunedin.. .. 37 33 3407 .. 46 39 4113 .. 47 39 41-71 Dunedin to London .. .. 34 32 3369 .. 47 38 41-01 .. 47 40 41-89 London to Bluff .. .. 38 34 34-82 .. 45 38 40-38 .. 46 38 40-96 Bluff to London .. .. 35 33 34-44 .. 46 37 40-26 .. 46 39 41-14 The several subsidised mail sea-services, the subsidy-payments for the year 1900, the dates when established, and the date on which each terminates are shown as follows :—

Buildings. Steps for providing better accommodation for the larger chief post-offices have been taken. The structural alterations and additions at the Auckland Chief Post-office mentioned in last year's report, and now on the point of completion, should afford sufficient accommodation for some years to come, and enable the enormously increased volume of work to be overtaken with greater facility. At Wellington, where the need for additional space is more urgent than elsewhere, some relief has been given by removing the money-order and savings-bank branch of the office to the premises recently occupied by the Bank of New Zealand in Lambton Quay. This has afforded increased

Duration of Service. Service. Annual Subsidy.or Payment. When terminated or terminable. Number of Voyages per Annum. Mileage for Complete Voyage. Cost per Mile. When established. .Auckland and San Francisco Auckland and Fiji Auckland and South Pacific Islands Auckland and Devonport Auckland and Great Barrier Dargaville and Tangiteroria Helensville and Matakohe Helensville and Dargaville Horeke, Kohukohu, Rawene, Waitapu, and Opononi Russell and Opua Wbangaroa and Totara North Wellington, Ketu Bay, Homewood, Maori Bay (and other offices), and Havelock Nelson, Motueka, Totaranui, Takaka, and Collingwood Westport and Karamea Westport and Little Wanganui .. Hokitika, Okarito, Bruce Bay, Paringa, Haast, Okura, and Jackson's Bay Lyttelton and Chatham Islands (including Pitt's Island) Bluff and Half-moon Bay £ s. d. 1,690 0 0 1,200 0 0 60 0 0 250 0 0 100 0 0 April, 1871 June, 1880 June, 1885 Aug., 1863 Oct., 1891 Nov., 1893 Not determined* Dec, 1902 Dec, 1902 Dec, 1902 17 13 12 939 52 52 f 52 t 104 52 11,850 2,334 6,992 6 120 46 118 1 170/ 48 s. d. 1 6-92 1 1-37 0 3-43 0 2-56 0 9-62 0 1003 I 550 0 0 Jan., 1881 Dec, 1902 0 5-54 157 0 0 Jan., 1889 Dec, 1902 1 3-10 90 0 0 25 0 0 350 0 0 Jan., 1889 Jan., 1891 Dec, 1891 Dec, 1902 Dec, 1902 Dec, 1902 104 52 26 16 2 183 1 0-98 4 9-69 1 5-65 125 0 0 Dec, 1902 52 130 0 4-44 I 400 0 0 j June, 1886 I Jan., 1895 Jan., 1886 Dec, 1902 Dec, 1902 Dec, 1902 36 12 6 102 ) 82 J" 384 1 8-62 600 0 0 5 2-50 300 0 0 Mar., 1902 6 1,050 0 11-43 Bluff, Te Oneroa, and Cromarty .. 245 0 0 j 360 0 0 I 300 0 0 3,500 0 0 b July, 1886 April, 1893 Nov., 1901 Nov., 1886 Dec, 1902 Nov., 1901 Nov., 1902 Mar., 1901 52 12 12 13 } 48 208 I 1 11-56 2 10-62 2 4-85 Interprovincial service in connection with San Francisco line a Mails carried at present under arri expected contract will be made later, wl .8 for ten years, from about the end of li nails leaves Onehunga on a Tuesday. -angement with hen service mo] 1900. b. Oceanic Steam S! ■e settled. Ocean ?fols one-thirteeni hip Company of Sa ;ic Company's cont: bh of £d00 for eacr. bn Francisco ract with Ur i trip on wh: on poundagf lited States ich steamer basis. It is government Nith inward