19

F.-i

Owing to heavy floods in the Clutha Valley at the end of January, 1919, the railway-line bet ween Balclutha and Stirling, Stirling and Kaitangata, and Stirling and Lovell's Flat was inundated, and. mails were conveyed by boat, motor, and on foot. On the Bth November the southbound Main Trunk express ran into a slip northward of Mataroa, The post-office van was smashed to pieces, and both mail agents, Messrs. J. 11, Williams amd R. Martin, were killed at their posts of duty. The great possibilities of the aeroplane as a means of rapid communication are not being lost sight of, and the matter of the establishment of mail-services by air is now under consideration. In view of the proposed establishment of aerial services it was necessary to obtain legislative authority for contraots bo be made for such services, and this was done, in the Appropriation Act of 1918 (section 47). Buildings. During the year post-office buildings were erected at Patearoa and Makotuku, and the buildings at Diivauchelle and Whetukura were destroyed by fire. The post-office at Makotuku had been conducted at the railway-station, but owing to the withdrawal of the Stationniaster other arrangements had to be made. Difficulty was experienced in finding suitable accommodation, and an offer was made by Mr. Jonathan Ilolden, a resident at Makotuku, to bear the expense of erecting a building. This liberal offer was accepted, and a building was erected by the Department's workmen on a site provided by Government. On account of the abnormal conditions the erection of buildings during the period of the war was confined to urgent cases. Action is now being taken to erect new buildings and extend existing ones as required by the business. Money-orders. The money-order business for the year shows a decrease in the number of transactions, but an increase in the total of the amount remitted. Twelve money-order offices were opened and 18 closed, leaving 803 offices open at the close of the year. The money-orders issued numbered 638,500, for a total of £3,649,371; those paid 549,785, for £3,280,653. The business with, countries outside New Zealand shows an increase in the amount sent abroad, but a decrease in the amount received, the total amount sent abroad being £529,188, and the amount received from abroad £167,072. The total commission received for the transaction of money-order business amounted to £17,487. Postal Notes. The postal-note business shows a slight decrease; 2,091,051 postal notes for £619,605 were issued, and 2,071,995 were paid. On this business the commission of £9,014 was received. Twenty-seven offices were opened and 20 closed, leaving 1,028 postal-note offices in operation at the end of the year. British Postal Orders. The number of British postal orders sold was 83,162, as compared with 93,058 for the previous year. The amount sent away by means of this very useful form of remittance was £50,351. The twenty-shilling and ten-shilling notes continue to have the greatest sales. Savings-bank. The business of the Post Office Savings-bank again shows a remarkable increase in the excess of deposits over withdrawals. It amounted to no less than £3,162,263, and, in addition to this, there was credited to depositors' accounts an amount of £1,059,472 for interest: Thus the total amount at credit of depositors was increased during the year by £4,221,735. The total balance at credit of depositors on the 31st December, 1918, was £33,418,125. These results are an indication of the unabated confidence reposed in the institution by the people of the Dominion. There were 13 new savings-bank offices opened during the year and 18 closed, leaving a total of 786 offices open. 76,869 new accounts were opened and 53,015 closed, leaving 590,205 still in operation at the end of the year. This gives a proportion of one account in every 1-96 of the population. Full particulars as to the number of deposits and withdrawals will be found in the tables. The total transactions show a material increase. The deposits reached a total of £18,101,105, and the withdrawals £14,938,841. The average deposit amounted to £14 18s. 4d., and the average withdrawal to £20 10s. 7d., while the average amount at credit of each depositor was £56 12s. sd. If the total at credit were divided equally among the whole of the people the amount at credit of each person would be £28 17s. Id. The working-expenses of the Savings-bank amounted to 3-96 d. per transaction, which, gives a cost per cent, on the total amount at credit of depositors of 040 per £100. Fixed deposits, if part of a war fund within the War Funds Act, 1915, and exceeding £50 in amount, are accepted for a period of five years at 4 per cent, per annum. The system of nomination by depositors in favour of relatives who receive moneys at their credit in case of death is steadily growing in favour. During the year 264 nominations were made. The system of transfer of accounts between the Dominion and the United Kingdom resulted in £8,522 being transferred to the United Kingdom and £2,649 to New Zealand. A similar arrangement with the Australian Savings-banks resulted in £34,293 being transferred to Australia and £27,349 to New Zealand.