F.—l

XI

The following table shows the number and weight of parcels exchanged with the United Kingdom and the undermentioned places during the years 1903 and 1904 : —

The declared value of parcels received from places outside the colony in 1904 was £165,939. The Customs duty collected amounted to £34,341 14s. Bd. The declared value of parcels despatched to places beyond the colony was £20,722, as against £20,844 in 1903. On the arrival of the "Turakina" at Wellington in November last, two bags containing 24 parcels were found to have been broached, and part of the contents stolen. The contents of 13 parcels were satisfactorily identified and delivered, leaving 11 having the whole or part of the contents missing. Subsequently a fireman on the " Tongariro " was arrested for receiving a tablecloth knowing it to have been stolen, and sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment. The tablecloth was identified as belonging to one of the broached parcels. Nothing further has been recovered. Arrangements have been made for the more secure stowage of mails in future.

Registered Letters. The number of registered articles dealt with in 1904, compared with the numbers in 1890, 1900, and 1903, is shown below:—

Country. Becei 1903. Number. Weight. rived. 1904. Despi L903. itched. 1904. Number. Weight. Number. Weight. Number. Weight. United Kingdom and foreign countries (via London) United States of America .. Canada Victoria .. .. . .. New South Wales South Australia Queensland Tasmania.. Western Australia Samoa Fiji Ceylon Uruguay .. Cape Colony Natal India lb. oz. 37,652 163,875 0 43,808 lb. oz. 192,379 0 7,575 lb. oz. 19,567 0 8,552 lb. oz. 22,127 12 5,024 ! 14,366 6 353 I 762 0 5,058 ! 15,527 10 8,865 25,241 0 347 913 9 449 1,065 0 349 992 8 291 941 6 12 54 2 73 184 7 260 849 13 5,310 386 5,937 9,287 417 555 320 292 12 67 390 15,659 9 755 8 17,607 0 26,903 4 1,198 0J 1,267 8 839 5 719 4 37 6 163 9 1,129 11J 1,286 167 2,365 3,322 325 453 496 394 170 286 78 21 396 89 154 3,442 1 409 14 4,932 12 6,461 14 772 13 1,132 1 1,029 14 905 1 498 5 751 5 190 8 75 15 933 1 204 11 399 13 1,321 286 3,062 3,842 394 677 589 560 175 328 74 24 445 107 204 2,778 11 809 6 6,407 14 7,849 94 932 11 1,644 8 1,230 7 1,209 15 527 9 942 6 192 15J 89 14 947 14 219 9J 470 7 352 730 14 84 141 15 486 1,313 8 391 114 601 558 8 192 8 1,928 4 J Totals 59,655 |226,959 2 67,887 261,338 5J 17,577 41,707 0 20,640 48,381 8£

Postal Districts. From Places beyond the Colony. 1890. Registered in the Colony. 1900. p F la°c?s Re 8 is - Colony. Col ° D >-- 1908. From Regie [ b P eyo°nd ter t e h d e in ! Totals. Colony. Col °^- 1904. Prom *>„„•_ Totals. Totals. Totals. Auckland Thames New Plymouth .. Gisborne Napier .. Wanganui Wellington Blenheim Nelson Westport Greymouth Hokitika Ghristchuroh Timaru 7,119 130 341 118 999 211 6,129 92 322 112 102 95 j 3,659 312 278 4,615 1,740 34,398 4,781 3,3721 2,120| j 10.911J 6,060 30,369 3,193 3,430 3,254 8,879 j 2,579 20,404 3,551; 2,505 19,696 9,819 i 41,517i 4,911! 3,713! 1 2,238! 11,910 6,271 36,498 3,285! 3,752 3,366 8,981 2,674 24,063 3,863 2,783 24,311 11,559 18,108 267 1,310 421 1,659 2,151 9,513 116 644 354 680 94 5,404 1,196 120 6,954 3,352 101,533J119,641 19,912 20,179 16,903j 18,213 7,193 ; 7,614 26,685, 28,344 24,980 27,131 85,915 95,428 6,37lj 6,487 14,726 15,370 6,974! 7,328 11,606 12,286 4,344 4,438 49,049 54,453 9,973! 11,1691 8,880! 9,000 44,003j 50,957 24,989! 28,341 20,068 345 2,150 337 1,836 2,442 17,934 147 1,314 926 957 536 7,480 705 114| 8,797 6,700 121,952 19,034 22,199 6,791 26,079 30,453 121,729 9,182 18,043 8,425 13,901 10,324 51,623! 10,496! 6,171 53,895 29,214 142,020 19,379 24,349 7,128 27,915 32,895 139,663 9,329 19,357 9,351 14,858 10,860 59,103 11,201 6,285 62,692 35,914 25,746 310 2,017 373 8,584 2,530 20,886 147 1,708 1,059 840 534 8,276 798 140 8,215 6,742 140,533 18,573 17,455 6,948 25,318 33,167 145,256 8,805 19,383 8,759 15,125 9,937 62,440 10,368 6,562 57,759 27,307 166,279 18,883 19,472 7,321 33,902 35,697 166,142 8,952 21,091 9,818 15,965 10,471 70,716 11,166 6,702 65,974 34,049 702,600 Oamaru Dunedin Inveroargill Totals 26,374 169,321 195,695 164,036 516,379 88,905 613,695 52,343 72,788 559,511 632,299