F.—l.

Revenue and Expenditure.

The r 'total revenue exceeded that"of 1908-9 by £47.505 135.. and the expenditure exceeded the expenditure of 1908 9 by £50.407 ss. 3d. Postal matter delivered in New Zealand, including that received from abroad, during tin- year reached a total of 9."..650.908 letters. 8,049,808 post-cards. 48,195,407 other articles, and [,122,029 parcels. The number of parcels insured'during the year was 2.252. valued at £73,782 12s. Iod., upon which premiums amounting to £110'15s. Id. were received. 538,740 money-orders, for £2,307,592 18s. Id. were issued, and 418,764, for £1,984,978 Os. lid. paid. The increase in the number of orders issued as compared with last year was 50,656. The postal-note business continues to increase. During the year 1,414,752 postal notes, of the value of £454,138 4s. Bd., were sold, being an increase of 15-75 per cent, in number and 16-7 in amount as compared with the preceding year. The number of British postal orders sold increased from 44,877. for £24,178 ss. 6d.. to 54.360, valued at £29,676 lis. 10d., and 18,326 orders, for £12,411 165.. were paid, as against 14.801. for £10,264 19s. 6d., paid during the previous year. The Savings-bank deposits (£9,611,119 lis. 3d.) exceeded the withdrawals (£9,499,319 Mis. Id.) by £111,799 14s. lid. There has been added £395,804 4s. sd. as interest, making a total increase of £507.603 19s. 4d., and bringing the whole amount at credit up to £12.666.897 17s. 5d., a stint which equals £12 ss. lOd. per head of the population. The number of old age pension payments was 177,839, as compared with 164.633 in the previous year, the respective amounts being £362,495 lis. and £336,813 Is. The total number of telegrams forwarded was 7,846,890, an increase of 421.197. or 5-67 peT cent.. over the business of the previous year. The number of bureau communications shows a marked increase, being 1.757.869. as against 1,423,093. The amount expended on telegraph-extension was £123,422, with liabilities amounting to £39,310 on account of works for which the authority of Parliament was granted too late for the necessary expenditure to be brought within the financial year. On the 31st March. 1910. there were 10,901 miles of telegraph-line and 31.788 miles of wire. The length of submarine cables within the Dominion was 368 knots. The number of telephone-exchange connections still continues to increase rapidly. It has now l-eaeheil 29,681,

II

The revenue and expenditure of the Department for the financial year 1909-10 are shown in the following table : —

Item. Postal. Telegraph. Total. Receipts. Stamps for postage Money-order and postal-uote commission Money-order commission received from foreign offices Private box and bag fees Miscellaneous receipts Paid telegrams Telephone exchanges £ s. d. 520,622 18 11 20,458 16 II 656 6 1 10,977 3 0 14,275 0 5J £ s. d. £ s. d. 520,622 18 11 20,458 16 11 656 6 1 10,977 3 0 ! 19,581 12 5J 244,905 10 1 144,298 2 9 5.30(1 12 0 244,905 10 1 144,298 2 9 Balance of expenditure over revenue .. 566,990 5 4J 394,510 4 10 16,786 12 4 961,500 10 2i Totals 566,990 5 4 J 411,296 17 2 961,500 10 2 J Expenditure, Salaries (classified officers) Salaries (country Postmasters and telephonists, and contributions to Railway Department) 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. 183,873 15 7 1(),684 0 0 50,971 14 10 64,758 4 0 61,912 4 0 2,198 3 9 £ s. d. 292,729 7 7 33,365 0 0 £ s. d. 476,603 3 2 50,049 0 0 59,971 14 10 64,758 4 0 61,912 4 0 2,198 3 9 33,962 3 11 108,605 1 6 57,364 15 9 33,962 3 11 51,240 5 8 Balance of revenue over expenditure (Postal) (whole Department) 446,762 17 11 120,227 7 5J 411,296 17 2 858,059 15 1 103,440 15 1J Totals 556,990 5 4 J 411,296 17 2 961,500 10 2J