Ft— l.

Revenue and Expenditure. The revenue and expenditure of the Department for the year 1906-7 are shown in the following table : —

The total revenue exceeded that of 1905-6 by £61,371, and the expenditure by £40,394. If to the balance of revenue over expenditure there be added the value of free official postal correspondence (£64,872 Is. 4d.) and official telegrams (£17,486 19s. Bd.) dealt with during the first nine months of the financial year, the net balance on the year's transactions will be found to be £209,487 16s. B£d. The money-order business still shows a relatively small rate of increase. The issues numbered 439,020 for £1,686,231 Is. lid., and 332,560 for £1,434,038 6s. sd. were paid. The increase in the number of orders issued as compared with last year was 21,579, of which 14,256, or 66 per cent., was due to orders issued for payment within the colony, while 7,323, or 34 per cent., was on account of orders issued for payment beyond the colony. Of the increase in the number of orders issued for payment beyond the colony, those drawn on the United Kingdom increased by 3,391, New South Wales by 3,193, Tasmania by 502, and Victoria by 498, as compared with those issued for the preceding year. New Zoaland postal-note business continues to increase. During the past year 981,642 postal notes for £314,053 6s. were sold, being an increase of 12-15 per cent, in number and 13-67 in amount as compared with the preceding year. The number of British postal orders sold increased from 27,369 for £13,581 18s. to 31,698 valued at £16,229 15s. 6d., and 9,461 orders for £6,426 4s. were paid as against 7,364 for £5,052 7s. 6d. paid during the previous year. The number of parcels insured during the year was 1,508, valued at £20,969 17s. 5d., upon which premiums amounting to £49 3s. 2d. were received. The increase in the amount standing to the credit of savings-bank depositors has been considerate. The deposits (£7,907,154 12s. 5d.) exceeded the withdrawals (£6,907,103 17s. 7d.) by £1,000,050 14s. lOd. To this there has been added £291,191 19s. Id. as interest, making a total increase of £1,291,242 14s. 10d., and bringing the whole amount of savings up to £9,953,265 lis., an amount which equals £10 19s. Id. per head of the population. The number of old-age pension payments was 152,502, as compared with 141,018 in the previous year, an increase of 11,484, or 8-14 per cent. The total amount of the payments was £314,204 15s. 9d., as against £254,360 16s. 6d. paid out in the preceding year, an increase of £59,843 19s. 3d. The total number of telegrams forwarded was 6,396,332, an increase of 756,113, or 13-41 per cent., as compared with the business of the previous year. Of the increase it is estimated that 12-41 per cent, was due to ordinary expansion of business, while the International Exhibition held at Christchurch was probably responsible for the remaining 1 per cent. The amount expended on telegraph extension was £114,068, but there are liabilities amounting to £75,110 on account of works for which the authority of Parliament too late for the necessary expenditure to be brought .within the financial year. On. the 31st March, 1907, there were 8,953 miles of telegraph-line and 27 031 miles of wire. The length of submarine cables within the colony was 289 knots. The number of telephone-exchange subscribers still continues to increase in a very rapid manner, having risen from 15,333 to 17,403, while the subscriptions amounted to £100,814J)s 3d., or £21,272 more than the previous year.

II

Item. Postal. Telegraph. Total. I Receipts. Stamps for postage Money-order and postal-note commission Money-order commission received from foreign offices Private box and bug fees Miscellaneous receipts Paid telegrams Telephone exchanges £ s. d. 397,458 17 3J 25,465 17 2J 620 8 2 9,289 13 9 5,894 3 8 £ s. d. £ s. d. 397,458 17 3* 25,465 17 2£ 620 8 2 9,289 13 9 10,299 18 11 202,301 0 5J 100,814 0 3 4,405 15 3 202,301 0 5 i 100,814 0 3 Totals 438,729 0 1 307,520 15 11J 746,249 16 0$ Expenditure. Salaries (classified officers) Salaries (country Postmasters and telephonists, and contributions to Railway officers) Conveyance of mails by sea Conveyance of inland mails .. Conveyance of mails by railway Money-order commission credited to foreign offices Maintenance of telegraph-lines Miscellaneous £ s. d. 119,030 0 0 19,652 0 0 60,610 19 9 53,981 9 10 33,665 2 9 1,852 1 4 £ a. d. 210,190 0 0 24,836 0 0 £ s. d. 329,220 0 0 44,488 0 0 60,610 19 9 53,981 9 10 33,665 2 9 1,852 1 4 24,521 2 4 70,782 4 9 38,969 14 7 24,52i 2 4 31,812 10 2 Balance of revenue over expenditure 327,761 8 3 110,967 11 10 291,359 12 6 16,161 3 5J 619,121 0 9 127,128 15 3J Totals 438,729 0 1 307,520 15 11J 746,249 16 0J