F.—l

10

The length of telegraph and telephone line and wire on the 31st March, 1913 and 1914, respectively, was as follows : —

Telegraph and interurban-telephone lines were overhauled and reconstructed during the year in the several districts as follows: Auckland, 107 miles; Wellington, 206 miles; Nelson, 94 miles; Canterbury, 338 miles ; Otago, 400 miles : total, 1,145 miles. New test-boards for long-distance lines were installed at Blenheim, Halcombe, Otorohanga, Palmerston North, Taihape, Tokomaru Bay, Tolaga Bay, Waihi, Waipu. The first coin-in-slot telephones erected in the Dominion were installed at the Lambton and Thorndon railway-stations, Wellington, on the 17th August, 1910. There are now 93 such instruments in use at the principal centres of population throughout the Dominion, 57 of these having been installed during the year. Two " James " machines for folding telegrams were installed in the Dunedin Telegraph-office. Telegraph cash-registers were installed at Gisborne and Invercargill. By an Order in Council under the Post and Telegraph Amendment Act, 1913, regulations have been made prohibiting the transmission of telegrams of a nature or character defined therein. The maximum number of connections on a party line connected with an automatic-telephone-exchange circuit is limited to four. New Zealand Submarine Cable Services. During August, 1913, the cable-steamer " Tutanekai " carried stores to the Macquarie Islands for the members of the Mawson Antarctic Expedition. There are 374 knots of submarine cable in the Dominion. Repairs were effected to Nos. 1 and 2 Oterangi Bay cables, and to No. 4 Lyall Bay cable. The cable to Stewart Island was interrupted for several weeks. The submarine cable connecting East Cape Island with the mainland was replaced during July and August, 1913. Ocean Cable Services. The following table shows the total number of ordinary telegrams forwarded by each route during the past five years, and the percentages of the total of such business falling to each : — Pacifio. Eastern. Year. Messages. « a f Year. Messages. P —f 1909 .. .. 96,648 83 1909 .. .. 19,812 17 1910 .. .. 87,326 72 1910 .. .. 33,273 28 1911-12 .. .. 89,276 69 1911-12 .. .. 39,374 31 1912-13 .. .. 99,617 71 1912-13 .. '.. 40,680 29 1913-14 .. .. 104,638 73 1913-14 .. .. 38,023 27 The number of international cable messages forwarded during the year shows an increase of 13 per cent, on the number sent during 1912-13, whilst the number forwarded to Australian stations decreased by 3-97 per cent. Messages received from international stations increased by 12 per cent., but there was a decrease of 3 per cent, in the Australian received traffic. New Zealand's proportion of the deficit of £32,269 17s. sd. on the eleventh year's working of the Pacific cable (1912-13) amounted to £3,585 Ids. lOd. Owing to the opening of the new cable between New Zealand and Australia, and the consequent alterations thereupon, the Pacific Cable Board authorities have found it impossible to give any estimate of the receipts and expenditure for the year. The share of ordinary outward business handled by the Pacific cable again shows a slight increase on that obtained during the previous year. In 1912-13 the Pacific proportion was 71 per cent., and the Eastern 29 per cent. The 1913-14 figures are : Pacific, 73 per cent. ; Eastern, 27 per cent. During the year New Zealand has given the Pacific route 74-38 per cent, of the ordinary business to Australia, as against 71-42 per cent, last year. 1,811 Press telegrams were sent via Pacific and 2,035 via Eastern, compared with 1,106 and 1,574 respectively last year. The number of cables sent as " deferred ". during the year shows an increase of approximately 35 per cent, over the previous year's figures. Week-end Cable Messages. The system of week-end cable messages is being freely availed of by the public, particularly by business firms. During the year, 4,087 messages, at a total value of £4,919, were forwarded from New Zealand,

Mil. is of Pole Lii ie. Miles of Wire. Year ended 31st March, 1913. Year ended 31st March, 1914. Increase. Year ended Year ended 31st March, 31st March 1913. 1914. Increase. Telegraph and interurban telephone Telephone-exchange plant... 12,508 1,977 13,044 2,514 536 537 41,892 44,642 47,005 79,154 88,897 123,796 27,50 32,149 14,485 15,558 1,073 34,899