¥.— 1

XX

hunga ; repairs to Postmaster's residence, Ophir ; new building, furniture, &c, Opunake; telephone bureau, Orepuki; postal accommodation at railway-station, Ormondville; repairs, painting, &c, Otaki; installing water-supply Papanui ; additions, drainage, &c, Eenwicktown ; providing accommodation at railway-station, St. Andrew's ; additions, &c, South Dunedin ; erecting new office at railway-station, Springston ; completion of new building, new clock, &c, Sumner; postal accommodation at railway-station, Takapau; erection of Postmaster's residence, Tarawera , ; new building, Teinuka; new building, furniture, and fittings, Toko; erection of new building, Tolaga Bay ; increasing accommodation at railway-station for post-office, Waitahuna; repairs and renovations, Waiwera ; new building (in course of construction), Wanganui ; new building, furniture, fittings, &c, Weber; excavations, alterations, &c, General Post Office, painting, alterations, and installing electric light in old Colonial Bank buildings for moneyorder office, additions to Post and Telegraph Store, Wellington; renovations and repairs, Westport. MONEY-ORDEBS. Twenty-six money-order offices were opened during the year —namely, Bunnythorpe, Karori, Kokonga, Little Akaloa, Mahakipawa, Moawhango, Nireaha, Okarito, Omahu, Onewhero, Ongarue, Otakeho, Papatoetoe, Portobello, Prebbleton, Rakaunui, Springston Railway, Sumner, Tahekeroa, Te Karaka, Tokaanu, Waipiata, Wedderburn, Weraroa, Whakapirau, and Wimbledon. Three offices were closed —namely, Cullensville, Hamilton South, and Springston. The number of offices open at the end of the year was was 477, as against 454 twelve months previously. 405,967 money-orders were issued for £1,286,508 Is. 10d., as compared with 369,834J'f0r £1,214,852 16s. sd. in 1900 —an increase of 36,133 in number and £71,655 ss. sd. in amount. 283,611 money-orders, amounting to £1,108,399 6s. 2d., were paid, as against 264,018 for £1,042,348 4s. sd. during 1900—an increase of 19,593 orders and £66,051 Is. 9d. There were 46,570 telegraph money-orders issued for £147,524 14s. 9d., as compared with 39,311 for £127,551 12s. 6d. in 1900—an increase of 7,269 in number and £19,973 2s. 3d. in amount. 150,623 orders for £284,451 9s. 9d. were issued on places beyond New Zealand, as against 130,269 orders for £262,992 9s. Id. during 1900. 27,770 orders for £103,821 19s. 2d. were issued at places beyond New Zealand for payment in the colony, as compared with 25,613 orders for £95,318 15s. 9d. during the previous year. The commission received for money-orders amounted to £17,518 11s., as against £16,512 12s. 9d. received during 1900. Postal Notes. The following offices were created postal-note offices during the year ended 31st March, 1902 : — Bannoekburn. Mangatoki. Prebbleton. Tarata. Canvastown. Manurewa. Rata. Te Wharau. Hastwell's. Northcote. Ruanui. Tokaanu. Hawea Plat. Omahu. Saies. Wainui. Ketu Bay. Onewhero. Skipper's. Waipiata. Little Akaloa. Ongarue. Springston Railway. Whakapirau. Mahakipawa. Papatoetoe. Strathmore. Mamaku. Portobello. Tahekeroa. Total opened, 30; 9 closed—namely, Cullensville, Hamilton South, Hawea Flat, Huiakama, Makarora, Mandeville, Motupiko, Purekireki, and Springston. The number of offices at which postal notes were sold at the end of the financial year was 550, as compared with 529 on the 31st March, 1901. 556,316 notes, of the value of £173,317 ss. were sold, as against 490,505, for £154,434 Is., sold during the previous year. The postal notes paid numbered 552,878, of the value of £172,522 15s. 6d., as compared with 486,553, for £153,586 125., paid during 1900-1. The postal-note commission amounted to £3,790 15s. ll^d. Savings-banks. There were twenty-four offices opened during the year for the transaction of savings-bank business—namely, Bunnythorpe, Karori, Kokonga, Little Akaloa, Mahakipawa, Moawhango, Okarito, Omahu, Onewhero, Ongarue, Otakeho, Papatoetoe, Portobello, Prebbleton, Eakaunui, Springston Railway, Sumner, Tahekeroa, Te Karaka, Tokaanu, Waipiata, Wedderburn, Weraroa, and Whakapirau. Three offices were closed —namely, Cullensville, Hamilton South, and Springston. There were 466 offices open at the end of 1901, as against 445 at the end of the previous year. 50,046 accounts were opened and 35,018 closed, the net gain on the year's working being 15,028 accounts. The number of depositors on the 31st December was 212,436, and the proportion of accounts per head of population was 1 in 3-66, as compared with 1 in 3-90 at the end of the previous year. The deposits numbered 380,808, representing <£4,611,456 6s. Id., an average of £12 2s. 2d. per transaction. The withdrawals numbered 247,854, for £4,230,193 6s. 2d., an average of £17 Is. 4d. for each withdrawal. The net amount added to the depositors' savings during the year was therefore £381,262 19s. lid. plus £159,198 4s. interest earned, making a total of £540,461 3s. lid.