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F.-1

Postal notes are now on sale and may be cashed between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the Auckland. Christchurch. Dunedin, and Wellington offices. The colour of the ten-shilling postal note was changed to a maroon shade from the Ist August, 1909. British Postal Orders. 54,360 orders, representing a value of £29,676 lis. 10d., have been sold, and 18,326, for £12,411 16s. paid. An extended table of the transactions is printed in Table No. 5. There was an increase of 21-13 per cent, in the number of postal orders sold during the year, and 23-82 per cent, in the number paid. The increasing use made of this method of remitting small sums to the various parts of the British Empire has more than justified its introduction. Savinos-Bank. During the year 36 offices were opened and 10 closed, leaving 619 offices open at the end of 1909. 77,400 accounts were opened and 59,763 closed, the net gain on the year's working being 17.637 accounts. The number of accounts on the 31st December, 1909, was 359,714, and the proportion per head of population was 1 in 2-87, as compared with 1 in 2-95 at the end of the previous year. The deposits numbered 724,501, representing £9,611,119 lis. 3d., an average of £13 ss. 4d. per transaction. The withdrawals numbered 520,971 for £9,499,319 16s. 4d., an average of £18 4s. Bd. for each withdrawal. The net amount added by depositors to their savings during the year was therefore £111,799 14s. lid. excess of deposits, plus £395.804 4s. sd. interest earned and credited, making a total of £507,603 19s. 4d. The total amount at credit of depositors increased from £12,159,293 18s. id. at the close of the previous year to £12,666,897 17s. sd. on the 31st December last, representing a sum equal to £12 ss. 10d. per head of the entire population, and £35 4s. 3d. to each depositor. The interest credited to depositors since the Post-Office Savings-banks were established in 1867 now amounts to £4,576,457 17s. 9d. The cost of working the savings-banks amounted to 5-20 d. per transaction, or £27,000 for the year. The cost of management per cent, on the total amount at credit of depositors was 0-21 per cent.. or 4s. 3d. per £100. The card-ledger system is now in operation at every chief office with the exception of Auckland and Thames, where it will be installed in the near future. The home savings-bank safes referred to in the previous report have been readily taken up at the Wellington and Suburban offices, and Dunedin and some of the local sub-offices. The issue of them will be extended to other chef centres shortly. From the Ist October, 1909, Chief Postmasters were authorised to supply direct to District Managers and Agents of the Public Trust Office information respecting accounts of Savings-Bank depositors whose estates are being administered by the Public Trustee. Work performed for other Departments. Among the many branches of Government work performed by the Department may be mentioned the following : — Customs duties were collected on parcels and other articles coming through the post from places beyond the Dominion amounting to £56,091 15s. 2d., and on account of ordinary Customs work £908 18s. 6d. Advances to Settlers receipts amounted to £1,139,660 65., and payments to £1,144,438 16s. sd. Fishing licenses were issued by Postmasters to the value of £1,251 6s. 6d., and game licenses to the value of £3,189 2s. For the Government Insurance Department premiums were collected from the public amounting to £28,352 3s. 6d. The sum of £28,617 10s. lid. was paid to Imperial pensioners by Postmasters. Income-tax amounting to £201,861 3s. Bd., and land-tax, £463,195 Is. 6d.. were collected by Postmasters. The sum of £8,872 155., fees due to the Machinery Department, was received. Under the Mining Act the receipts were £325 ss. New Zealand Consols for £80 were sold on behalf of the Treasury. On behalf of the Public Trustee £698,075 16s. lid. was received and £699,300 ire. paid. Railway revenue amounting to £2,885 19s. Bd. was collected by Postmasters. Fees received for the registration of births, deaths, and marriages amounted to £2,359 Bs. Receipts from the Hanmer Springs Sanatorium amounted to £1,573 17s. 9d. Valuation fees paid to Postmasters reached £4,346 12s. 6d. Claims on the General Government for £1,050,631 os. lod. were paid on behalf of the Treasury. Discount-stamps numbering 2.087,760, for £2,187 55.. were sold, and 2,057,712, for £2,143 95., redeemed, during the year. The amount invested by the general public in Government 4-per-ccnt. debentures through tinmedium of the Post Office was £15.700.