F.—l

Fishing licenses were issued by Postmasters to the value of £1,333 55., and game licenses to the Value of £2,966 16s. For the Government Insurance Department premiums were collected from the public amounting to £28,681 18s. 9d. The sum of £28,551 17s. Bd. was paid to Imperial pensioners by Postmasters. Income-tax amounting to £196,343 14s. 5d., and land-tax, £431,934 17s. 2d., were collected by Postmasters. The sum of £7,846 155., fees due to the Machinery Department, was received. Under the Mining Act the receipts were £302 ss. New Zealand Consols for £120 were sold on behalf of the Treasury. The amount paid to old-age pensioners through the Post Office was £332,158 10s. 2d. On behalf of the Public Trustee £723,937 9s. 3d. was received, and £721,698 lis. Id. paid. Railway revenue amounting to £2,675 15s. lOd. was collected by Postmasters. Fees for the registration of births, deaths, and marriages received amounted to £2,441 ss. Receipts from the Hanmer Springs Sanatorium amounted to £1,904 3s. lid. Valuation Department fees paid to Postmasters reached £4,363 14s. Id. Claims on the General Government for £1,136,846 17s. lid. were paid on behalf of the Treasury. Discount-stamps numbering 2,643,840, for £2,754, were sold, and 2,585,136, for £2,692 175., redeemed during the year. , The amount invested by the general public in Government 4-per-cent. debentures through the medium of the Post Office was £52,000. Gross Receipts and Payments. The gross amount received by the Department during 1908 was £27,542,099 4s. 5d., of which £24,036,449 Bs. 4d. was departmental and £3,505,649 16s. Id. on account of other Departments. The gross amount paid out was £27,611,070 7s. BJd., made up of £24,106,680 19s. 6£d. departmen al. and, on behalf of other Departments, to individuals £2,706,169 65., and to accounts £798,220 2s. 2d. The total gross receipts and payments were therefore £55,153,169 12s. ljd. Telegraphs. It was decided on the 24th April, 1908, in interpretation of sections 29 and 3(1 of " The Gaming and Lotteries Act Amendment Act, 1907," that no telegraph-office is to be opened on any racecourse. The originals of inland telegrams and cable messages have, since the 11th June, 1908, been kept for six months and twelve months respectively, instead of for six months and three years as previously. From statistics supplied by the International Bureau at Berne, it appears that New Zealand stands twelfth amongst the countries of the world in respect of its telegraph business, exceeding such countries as Holland, Switzerland, Spain, Egypt, Sweden, Turkey, and Portugal. The total value of the telegraph and telephone business for the year ended the 31st March, 1909, including miscellaneous telegraph receipts and Government telegrams, was £374,174 7s. Kid., as compared with £348,749 17s. for the previous year—an increase of £25,424 10s. B|d., or 7-29 per cent. The following is a comparison of the traffic in paid telegrams during the last five years : —■ Number. Revenue. £ 1904-5 ... 4,900,495 167,581 1905-6 ... 5,351,084 Increase, 919 per cent. ... 180,474 Increase, 769 per cent 1906-7 ... 6,160,080 „ 1512 „ ... 202,301 „ 1209 1907-8 ... 6,958,279 „ 1296 „ ... 222,926 „ 10-2 1908-9 ... 7,338,017 „ 5-46 „ ... 233,517 „ 475 The number of telegrams forwarded and the revenue derived therefrom during the four quarters of the financial years 1907-8 and 1908-9 respectively are as follows :—

The telegraph receipts for the financial year, including telephone-exchange subscriptions, privatewire rents, &c, amounted to £369,352 175., compared with £344,251 os. 6d. in 1907-B—an increase of £25,101 16s. 6d., or 7-29 per cent.

XI

Numbi er of Telegrai 'orwarded. >■ Revenue. Quarter. Increase Year ended Year ended * » perCent. 31st March, 1908. 31st March, 1909. 5" Year ended 31st March, 1908. Year ended 31st March, 1909. June quarter September quarter December quarter March quarter ... 1,621,204 1,594,727 1,835,583 1,906,765 1,736,159 1,702,311 1,940,911 1,958,636 £ s. 709 51,937 4 6-75 50,921 8 5-74 58,794 16 2-72 61,272 9 d. I £ s. d. 54- 55,211 2 HhJ 9 j 54,129 13 5 0.', 61,533 3 7$ 2 62,642 10 4 6-30 6-30 4-66 2-24 6,958,279 7,338,017 5-46 222,925 18 5 233,516 10 4 4-75