Page image

F.—l

8

British Postal Orders. The number of British postal orders sold was 67,882, as compared with 83,162 for the previous year. The amount sent away by means of this very useful form of remittance was £40.747. The twenty-shilling and ten-shilling notes continue to have the greatest sales. Savings-hank. The business of the Post Office Savings-bank again shows a remarkable increase in the excess of deposits eiver withdrawals. It amounted to nei less than, £3,796,070, and, in addition, to this, then- was credited, to depositors' accounts an amount of £1,178,935 for interest. Thus the total amount at credit of depositors was increased during the year by £4,975,005. The total balance at credit of depositors on the 31st December, 1919, was £38,393,131. These results are an indication, of the unabated confidence reposed m the institution by the people of the Dominion. There were 13 new savings-bank pffices opened during the year and. 5 closed, leaving a total of 794 offices eipen. 118,109 new accounts were opened and. 77,531 closed, leaving 630,783 still in operation at the end of the year. This gives a proportion of one account in every 1-95 of the population. Kuli particulars as to the number of depcisits and withdrawals will he found, in the tables. The total, transactions show a material increase. Tim deposits reached a total of £29,758,448, anel the withdrawals £25,962,378. The, average, deposit amounted to £23 Is. Bd., and the average withdrawal to £26 2s. 3d., while the average amount at credit of, each depositor was £60 1.75. 4d. If the total at credit were divided equally among the whole of the people the amount at credit of each person would be. £31 ss. lOd. The working-expenses of the Savings-bank amounted to 5-46 d.. per transaction, which gives a, oeist per cent, on the total amount at credit of depositors of 0-14 pence. The system of nomination by depositors in favour of relatives who receive moneys at their credit in case of death continues to grow in favour. During the year 274 nominations were made. The system of transfer of accounts between the Dominion and the United Kingdom resulted in £101,871 being transferred to the United Kingdom and £32,365 to New Zealand. A similar arrangement with the Australian Savings-banks resulted, in £81,011 being transferred to Australia and £51,325 to New Zealand. WeiRK PERFORMED FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. Among the many branches of work undertaken during the, year for other Departments of the Public Service those deserving of particular mention are the Customs duties collected of a total amount of £268,993, and for the same Department £27,107 for beer duty. The agencies for the State Advances, Public Trust, and Government Insurance Departments lead to a very large amount of business. The amount received for tho State Advances reached a total of £1,466,115, for the Public Trustee £1,093,552, and for the Government Insurance £238,045, while the amounts paid wore £689,735 for the State Advances and £1,042,293 for the Public Trustee. Land and income taxes may be paid at any money-order office, and the total, amount of these taxes received during the year was £4,506,748. For the Valuation Department fees amounting to £8,608 were, collected. A very large number of claims chargeable to the appropriations made by Parliament are paid through the medium of the Post Office on behalf of the Treasury. Last year the amount so paid in cash was £7,085,576. For the Pensions Department £732,204 was paid em account of old-age pensions, £46,144 on account of military pensions, £113,778 on account of widows' pensions, £1,674,353 on account of war pensions, and £13,990 on account of miners' pensions. Contributions to the National Provident Fund collected by Postmasters amounted to £42,144. £168,935 was paid out on behalf of the Public Service Superannuation Fund, and £76,504 em behalf of the Teachers' Superannuation Fund. Among the items which do not bulk largely with regard to amount, but involve numerous transactions, may be mentioned, the sale of fishing licenses to the value of £1,580, and game licenses £4,275; machinery- and boiler-certificate fees collected, £14,177; mining licenses, £176; and sanatorium receipts, £2,289, On behalf of the British Government £46,196 was paid to Imperial pensioners resident in New Zealand. For the registration of births, deaths, and marriages, and the performance of the marriage ceremony, Postmasters collected £3,645. Discount - stamps valued at £621 and numbering 596,160 were sold, but the popularity of these stamps does not seem to be increasing, the sales being still practically confined to Wellington. The number of payments made in connection with allotments made by members of the New Zealand Military Forces reached the total of 336,355, of an amount of £3,025,554, Some idea of the other services performed may be obtained from the, balance-sheet of the Post Office Account. Telegraphs. The telegraph revenue shows a marked increase. The grand total, including telephone, exchange and. miscellaneous receipts, amounted to £1,038,506, ecpiivalent to an increase of 5-01 per cent. If te> this be added the value of " free " Government telegrams, the total amounts to £1,044,336. The payments made on account of these services amounted to £1.078.961. an increase equal to about 22 : 67 per cent.