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For the Pensions Department £748,635 was paid on account of old-age pensions, £322,890 on account of epidemic, military, miners', and widows' pensions, and £1,642,921 on account t>f war pensions. Contributions to the National Provident Fund collected by Postmasters amounted to £85,582, and the payments amounted to £83,262 ; £275,879 was paid out on behalf of the Public Service Superannuation Fund ; £102,272 was paid on behalf of the Teachers' Superannuation Fund, and £106,677 received. 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 £1,756, and game licenses, £5,778 ; machinery and boiler-certificate fees collected, £12,462 ; mining licenses, £227 ; and sanatorium receipts, £2,266. On behalf of the British Government £112,607 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 £3,487. Discount-stamps valued at £510, and numbering 489,600, were sold. The sales arc still practically confined to Wellington. Some idea of the other services performed may be obtained from the balance-sheet of the Post Office Account. Treasury postal drafts for amounts under £5 are issued for payment through the Post Office. The amount paid under this heading was £76,688. The sum of £742,214 was collected for investment in Government loans. This does not include the amounts invested in Post Office" investment certificates, which totalled £69,095. The earnings of inmates of industrial schools are, under the Industrial Schools Act, collected and credited to special savings-bank accounts open on behalf of each' inmate. The total amount, collected was £1.1,118. TELEGRAPHS. The telegraph revenue, including telephone-exchange and miscellaneous receipts, totalled £1,312,231, representing an increase of £74,467 over the previous year, equivalent to 6-01 per cent. If to this be added the value of free Government telegrams the total amounts to £1,320,689. The telegraph revenue was £706,322, and the telephone £614,367. The payments made on account of these services amounted to £1,314,068, a decrease of 4-06 per cent. The number of ordinary telegrams decreased from 6,324,982 to 5,341,479, a decrease of 983,503, or 15-5 per cent. The revenue decreased from £356,106 to £338,332, a decrease of £17,714. The number represents 4-64 per unit of population, against, 529 for the previous year. Urgent telegrams decreased in number from 394,569 to 238,024, a decrease of 156,545, or 39-6 per cent. The revenue decreased from £44,364 to £31,366, a decrease of £12,998, or 29-3 per cent. The number of Press telegrams decreased from 372,683 to 364,535. The revenue increased from £34,976 to £45,764, an increase of £10,788, or 30-8 per cent. The number of telephone toll communications increased from 6,786,707 to 6,819,789, an increase of 33,082, or 0-49 per cent. The value increased from £254,182 to £268,753, an increase of £14,571. The average value of each communication increased from 8-9 d. to 9-46 d. The total number represents 5-18 per unit of population, against 5-68 for the previous year. Night letter-telegrams numbered 18,210, the revenue derived amounting to £1,639. This class of telegram, was introduced on the Ist November, 1920. For the five months ended on the 31st March, 1921, the number of messages forwarded was 5,525, and the value £494; and for the five months ended on the 31st March, 1922, the number forwarded was 8,575, and the value £785. Government telegrams for which no payment was received totalled 152,428, and the value thereof £8,458, against 116,385 and £7,036 for the previous year. If the figures for the class of telegram mentioned in the preceding paragraph are added to those for paid telegrams the total number of all codes is 12,934,465, valued at £694,313, against 14,000,851, valued at £698,520, for the previous year. These totals show a decrease in number and value of 1,066,386 and £4,207, or 7-62 per cent, and 0-6 per cent, respectively. The proportion of paid messages per unit of population was 983, against 11-62 for the previous year. The number of paid telegrams forwarded .amounted to 4-5 messages for every 100 letters posted in New Zealand. The following is the classification of paid telegrams and toll communications under the various headings:— Value s • Number. ordinary telegrams .. .. .. .. 5,341,479 491,293 Urgent telegrams .. .. .. .. 238,024 31,366 Press telegrams .. .. .. .. .. 364,535 47,437 Night letter-telegrams .. .. .. .. 18,210 1,639 Toll communications .. .. .. .. 6,819,789 268,753 12,782,037 840,488 Less amount due to other Administrations on cable and radio messages .. .. .. .. .. .. 154,633 Net totals for paid messages of all codes, 1921-22 .. 12,782,037 685,855 Net totals for paid messages of all codes, 1920-21 .. 13,884,466 691,484