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and third floors of St. George's building in Brandon Street, with a public parcel office on the groundfloor. The letter-carriers are paced on the first floor of the General Post Office building. The staffs of the Superintendent of Electric Lines (including the mechanicians' branch) and of the Inspector of Telegraphs have been accommodated on the fourth floor of Nathan's buildings, at the corner of Grey and Featherston Streets. The offices of the Inspector of Telegraph Offices and the Inspector of Post-Office Savings-Banks have been placed in the Money-order Office and Savings-Bank building, Lambton Quay. Plans for the new Post-office at Auckland will be ready shortly. The building will be in all material respects very to the new office to be erected at Wellington. The transfer of the Lichfield Street office, Christchurch, to other premises leased by Government was made on the 2nd November, 1907. The new parcel branch of the Christchurch'office was opened on the 20th December, 1907, in a building in Hereford Street. Owing to increase of work at the Courtenay Place office, a room was leased from the Postmaster, and the office was transferred on the 13th April, 1908, to the charge of a permanent officer. A building in Courtenay Place has since been purchased. The new telephone-exchange at Palmerston North was occupied on the 2nd September, 1907. The post and telegraph office at Wyndham was transferred from the railway-station to the Department's own building on the 16th September, 1907. During the year buildings were erected at Greymouth, Karamea, Roslyn, Taihape, Waikanae, Waikouaiti, Wainui, and Waipu ; and Postmasters' residences at Arrowtown, Clinton, Havelock, Martinborough, and Te Awamutu. The buildings at Cambridge and Devonport have been completed. At Shannon the buildings which were erected on a Government site have been purchased. Sites have been purchased at Auckland, for a branch post-office at the corner of Wellesley and Lome Streets, at Blackball, Bunnythorpe, Clevedon, Epsom, Fairlie, Green Island, Howick, Kaitaia, Kaitangata, Kirikiriroa, Morrinsville, Mount Eden, Mount Roskill, Richmond, St. Kilda (Dunedin), Te Aro, Terrace End, Wakapuaka (land taken for purposes of water-supply, &c), Wakefield, Weraroa, West Lynn, and Woolston. Contracts have been let for buildings at Apiti, Clevedon, Featherston, Geraldine, Howick, Kimbolton, Matakohe, Newmarket, Utiku, and Woolston, and for additions to the offices at Eketahuna, Invercargill, and Manakau. Public chiming-clocks, towards jthe cost of which the Government gave subsidies, were erected in the post-office buildings at Greymouth, New Plymouth, and Taihape. The generosity of Mr. F. H. Gibbons in defraying half the cost of the clock and bells for the new post-office at Taihape is commemorated in a memorial tablet placed in the vestibule of the Taihape Post-office. The following general repairs, additions, &c, were carried out during the year :_ Akaroa, office repaired and painted ; Arrowtown, completion of additions to post-office ; Bealey, repairs to Lineman's residence ; Blenheim, alterations; Carterton, store-room erected; Christchurch, alterations and enlargements ; Nottingham's buildings (parcel-post office, Christchurch), alterations ; Dunedin, electric light installed and additions to parcel-post office ; Dunedin Telegraph Office, calcimining rooms ; Dunedin North, additions completed; Gisborne, shed for dynamo ; Hamilton, alterations ; Hastings, alterations ; Hawera, additions and improvements to office and residence ; Hukerenui, erection of two rooms at railway-station for post-office ; Kaiapoi, painting office and sinking a well; Lyttelton, repairs and painting ; Mamaku, additions at railway-station for postal purposes ; Marton, additions ; Marton Railway, additional accommodation at railway-station for postal purposes ; Masterton, painting, alterations, &c, for telephone exchange completed ; Miller's Flat, additions and outbuildings provided ; Napier, additions to telephone exchange completed ; Ohakune, additions ; Otahuhu, repairs and painting ; Otaki Railway, erection of room for post-office ; Otira, additions ; Owaka, painting, and outbuildings erected ; Papanui, painting, &c. ; Porangahau, additions ; Pungarehu, additions ; Putaruru, additions at railway-station for postal purposes ; Raetihi, additions ; Raglan, raising building, drainage ; Renwicktown, painting, &c. ; Rotorua, additions, &c. ; Runanga, additions at rail-way-station for postal purposes ; Sydenham, painting ; Takaka, repairs and painting ; Tapanui, painting ; Te Aroha, additions ; Timaru, additions to caretaker's quarters and installation of electric light, alterations to accommodate new telephone switchboard ; Waipukurau, additions ; Wanganui, alterations ; Wellington, alterations, including iron shutters to several windows for fire-protection purposes, and the fitting-up of temporary premises for several branches ; Molesworth Street, stables repaired ; Whakapara, additions at railway-station for postal purposes ; Whakatane, additions. General. On the Ist January, 1908, the international system of distinguishing registered postal packets by means of registration labels, bearing the letter " R," the names of the offices of posting, and serial numbers, was introduced. The labels used are of two kinds—the one showing letter " R," name of office, and the serial number, for use at chief and permanent offices only, and the other showing letter " R " and a serial number, but not the name of the office, for use at railway, non-permanent, and country offices, the latter class of label being stamped with the name of the offices using them. The labels are issued in sheets, showing serial numbers, and each label is used in proper serial order. These labels are affixed to the address-side of the registered packet at the top left-hand corner, and all registered articles are advised on lists and letter-bills by the name of the office of origin, the number, and the

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