F.—l

II

Adding the value of free official posted correspondence (£83,075 Is.) and official telegrams (£20,597 lis. 10d.), the net credit balance on the year's transactions amounts to £177,057 4s. A considerable increase in the expenditure is due to the additional net payment to the Railway Department. For conveyance of mails by rail a total of £50,853 was paid, which, together with a contribution towards the salaries of officers of that Department acting as Postmasters, at the rate of £10,390 per annum, brings the total payment up to £61,243. Against this must be set recoveries amounting to £19,000 for services performed, leaving a balance in favour of the Railway Department of £42,243, compared with £23,631 the previous year. It should be explained that of the £50,853 paid for conveyance of mails the sum of £10,853 represented payment for work done in the previous year. Salaries paid to officers of all classes absorbed 51 per cent, of the revenue, while the expenditure on all services, including salaries, amounts to 88 per cent, of the receipts. The net surplus of the combined departments was £73,385, or almost £20,000 more than chat of the previous year. The money-order business shows but slight advance, the orders issued numbering 407,783 and those paid 313,267, for £1,476,987 and £1,267,351 respectively. The comparatively small increase is accounted for by the greater use year by year of postal notes and the recent exchange of British postal orders inaugurated between this colony and the United Kingdom and certain other parts of the Empire. During the ten months ended the 31st March, 1905, 17,776 British postal orders were sold and 3,912 paid. New Zealand postal notes numbering 785,347, for £250,123 7s. 6d., were sold. Savings-Bank depositors have increased the amount standing to their credit by over £372,000, of which, however, £200,930 represents interest. Deposits totalled £5,836,540, and withdrawals £5,664,770. The balance at credit of depositors on the 31st December, 1904, was equal to £9 Is. per head of the population, amounting in all to £7,761,382. There were 1,429 parcels, valued at £21,117, insured during the year, for which premiums amounting to £46 Bs. 3d. were received. The increase in telegrams handled is about 4 per cent., which, in view of the low rates and heavy increase in postal work, is somewhat disappointing. In all, 5,159,745 messages of all codes were forwarded, producing a revenue of £167,582. The number of telephone-exchange subscribers again shows a considerable increase, having risen from 12,105 to 13,423, while the revenue reached £79,061, or some £8,000 more than the previous year. There were 7,944 miles of telegraph-line, carrying 23,704 miles of wire. The expenditure on telegraph extension was £79,298.

Statement showing Revenue and Expenditure of the Post and Telegraph Department for the Ten Years ended 31st March, 1905, and for the Years 1881-82 and 1891-92.

Staff. The total number of officers on the staff on the 31st March was as under :— 31st March, 1904. Postmaster-General ... .. ... ... ... ... 1 Classified staff:— First Division ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Clerical Division ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,342 Non-clerical Division ... ... ... ... ... ... 834 Telegraph messengers ... ... ... ... ... ... 525 Total, classified staff ... ... ... ... ... 2,705 Employees not on permanent staff:— Country Postmasters and Postmistresses ... ... ... ... 1,760 Nightwatchmen ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Mail-cart drivers .. ... ... ... ... ... 4 Postmasters and telegraphists or telephonists who are Railway officers 168 Total;... .. ... ... ... ... ... 4,639

Year. Revenue. Expenditure. Balance of .Revenue over Expenditure. 234,529 s. d. 8 0 £ s. 233,291 10 d. 4 £ s. 1,237 17 d. 8 .881-82 891-92 320,058 1 3 268,343 1 1 51,715 0 2 .895-96 .896-97 .897-98 .898-99 .899-1900 .900-1901 .901-1902 .902-1903 .903-1904 .904-1905 365,727 6 5 392,117 1 0 408,383 15 3 445.770 7 1 488,245 16 4 503,835 19 5 J | 488,573 1 114 i 525,098 17 34 I 580.771 4 54 633,305 12 74 332,325 4 8 353,699 14 5 364,403 3 1 390,197 8 6 390,448 1 7 418,271 16 11 465,756 9 5 487,814 10 0 526,746 14 5 559,921 1 5 33,402 1 38,4:17 6 43,980 12 55,572 18 97,797 14 85,564 2 22,816 12 37,284 7 54,024 10 73,384 11 9 7 2 7 9 6* 64 04 24 Total for ten years £542,244 17 5*