F.—l

convenience to the mercantile community, which has largely availed itself of the opportunity to register code addresses for their inland telegrams. " Collect " Telegrams for Government Departments. With a view to restricting the number of "collect" telegrams for Government Departments, which have usually been franked as on public service by the addressees, a regulation has been made that such messages shall only be accepted for transmission when addressed from or to duly authorised persons. Press Telegrams for Country Newspapers. A concession in the rate for Press telegrams for country newspapers has been made. Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. the rate is Is. for every 150 words or fraction thereof. Not more than one such telegram may be sent to any one newspaper on any one day. A country newspaper is defined as one printed and published at any place other than a city or town where there is a chief post-office. Telephone Trunk Wires. The charges for the use of telephone trunk wires have been altered and assimilated in regard to subscribers' and non-subscribers' rates for distances exceeding twenty-five miles. A charge is now made for sending out for the person to whom it is desired to converse with. Private Telephone Annunciator Charges. A charge of ss. per annum is now levied as rental for the number on the annunciator by which the connection of a private telephone with a telephone exchange is obtained. Payment of Imperial Pensions. On the Ist September the Department added further to its many duties the payment of Imperial pensions to such pensioners as reside in the colony. The work, though not bulking very largely, necessitates the handling of a large number of special forms and the observance of many special rules, the pensions emanating from various branches of the Imperial service. The system set up to meet requirements is working smoothly, and there has been an entire absence of complaint on the part of the pensioners. Old-age Pensions. The Post Office, as the medium through which the monthly payment of old-age pensions is made, performs a very considerable portion of the work in connection with that system. Throughout the length and breadth of the country the aged, who are often more or less infirm, are enabled by the widely extended facilities afforded, to obtain the pension with a minimum of inconvenience. They present their pension certificate, which is indorsed by the paying officer, sign a receipt, and receive the pension in cash. The Post Office first distributes and then collects the warrants, afterwards accounting for these payments to the Treasury. They are made out of a special imprest granted monthly by the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer to the General Post Office in Wellington. The postal officials necessarilycome into more regular and personal contact with the pensioners than any other officials concerned, and consequently it is to them that the old folk appeal for information upon the thousand and one questions about which they require enlightenment. Yet so complete is the organization, and so smoothly does the whole arrangement work, that the outsider hardly knows that the Post Office has added this work to its manifold duties. The following is a comparative return showing the number and amount of old-age pension payments made each month for the two years ended 31st March, 1906: —

VIII

1904-5. .905-6. Month. Number of Payments. Amount. Number of Payments. Amount. April May June July August September October ... November December 11,326 11,475 11,477 11,619 11,621 11,744 11,655 11,587 11,699 11,501 11,716 11,544 £ s. d. 15,940 13 0 16,155 17 9 16,171 1 6 16,332 15 9 16,338 17 2 16,487 12 5 16,384 7 8 16,281 8 10 16,466 5 9 16,188 19 1 16,485 2 1 16,237 9 10 11,437 11,721 11,654 11,599 11,571 11,501 11,749 11,767 11,885 11,859 12,063 12,212 £ s. d. 16,141 13 7 16,528 13 7 16,428 3 0 16,354 6 7 16,323 18 1 23,915 5 6 24,457 14 3 24,498 15 5 24,715 12 7 24,651 14 5 25,030 14 11 25,314 4 7 January ... February... March Totals 138,964 £195,470 10 10 141,018 £254,360 16 6