F.—l

16

Sale of Obsolete and Unseeviceable Material. Auctions of obsolete and unserviceable material, including worn-out motor-vehicles from va.rious Departments, were held at Christchurch, Dunedin, and Wellington. The total value of property sold on account of the Post and Telegraph. Department was £10,831. This sum includes the value of scrap lead, copper wire, and other metals sold by tender. Marine Insurance Fund. The value of stores from countries within the Empire and from the United States of America imported under the Marine Insurance Fund was £208,990. Stores Rules. Rules relating to the Stores Branch were printed and issued for the guidance of officers concerned in the ordering, receipt, custody, issue, and disposal of stores. POST OFFICE. ARTICLES DELIVERED. The number of articles delivered in the Dominion, including those received from places overseas, during the year 1928, compared with the number in 1927, was as under : — 1928. 1927. Letters .. .. .. 154,922,174 150,112,575 3-20 Post-cards .. .. .. 5,402,400 4,815,581 12-18 Parcels .. .. .. 3,631,800 3,581,632 1-40 All other articles .. .. 106,376,061 92,504,917 14-99 270,332,435 251,014,705 AVERAGE NUMBER OF LETTERS POSTED PER UNIT OF POPULATION. 1928, 98-66. NUMBER OF POST-OFFICES IN DOMINION. Offices opened during the fifteen months ended the 31st March, 1929, 21; offices closed during the fifteen months ended the 31st March, 1929, 79; offices remaining open on 31st March, 1929, 1,897. UNDELIVERABLE POSTAL PACKETS. The following is a comparison of letters and other articles (including registered) dealt with as undeliverable during the year 1928, compared with those so dealt with during 1927 :—

The proportion of undeliverable letters to the total number of letters delivered was 0-45 per cent. In 1927|the proportion was 049 per cent. MISCELLANEOUS. 1928. 1927. Letters and letter-cards posted without addresses .. .. .. .. 13,888 17,289 Letters imperfectly or insufficiently addressed .. .. .. ..23,972 25,348 Letters intercepted on account of libellous addresses . . .. .. 66 204 Newspapers received without addresses .. .. .. .. .. 8,016 7,613 Other articles received without addresses .. .. . . .. . . 5,099 4,485 Newspapers returned to publishers as undeliverable .. .. .. 42,949 41,447 Articles bearing previously used stamps .. .. . . .. .. 80 65

Returned direct Returned direot Returned to other Eeturned to 0 ther Destroyed V f° to Senders minis ra ions Administrations (Senders unknown Titnl Year. from Chief from Dead . ffl from ,^ ief . , from Dead and Contents of Total " Request "T Letter ° ffiee " Req£t "T Letter 0ffioe - n ° Value) " Letters. 1928.. [ 283,921 280,645 j 64,781 34,000 I 29,692 693,039 1927.. | 306,421 292,897 | 63,173 44,146 | 35,542 742,179 Registered Articles (included in above Totals). 1928.. 11,785 I 9,639 I .. 961 | | 1927.. .. I 9,675 | .. 946 .. j Other Articles. 1928.. 260,106 11,317 115,596 1 3,208 I .. 390,227 1927.. 211,056 8,846 121,599 | 26,571 j .. 368,072