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1932. NEW ZEALAND.

POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1931-32.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

To His Excellency the Eight Honourable Baron Bledisloe, P.C., G.C.M.G., K.B.E. May it please Your Excellency,— I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report of the Post and Telegraph Department for the year ended on the 31st March, 1932. BECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS. The revenue collected during the year exceeded that for the previous year by £7,810. The sum received was £3,715,230, compared with £3,707,420 for 1930-31. The payments for the year in respect of the working-expenses of the Department, including an amount of £80,029 provided out of the Depreciation Fund, were £2,794,567, and the excess of receipts over payments was £920,663. The sum of £941,616 was paid to the Consolidated Fund, including £11,616 in respect of the profits for the previous year. Interest on capital liability, which is included in the working-expenses, totalled £550,000, an increase of £46,000 on the amount paid for the previous year. SAVING-BANK. The deposits in the Post Office Savings-bank amounted to £19,463,985, and the interest credited to depositors was £1,611,048. The withdrawals totalled £25,488,081, compared with £28,063,338 for the previous year. The total amount at the credit of depositors' accounts on the 31st March, 1932, was £43,255,499, a decrease of £4,413,048, compared with the previous year. The amount accumulated in the Post Office Savings-bank at the 31st March, 1932, represented an average of £28-37 per capita for the Dominion. STAFF. I assumed the office of Postmaster-General with a high opinion of the Post Office and its staff, and that high opinion has been enhanced by the opportunities that have been afforded me as Postmaster-General of gaining an insight into the Department's organization and methods. I have been impressed with the smooth manner in which the Department handles its huge business, a business which makes contact with every home and business establishment in the land. When one considers the multitude of transactions that are undertaken by the Department on its own behalf and on behalf of the many other Departments, and the large amount of money handled, the almost entire absence of serious complaint is most gratifying. Undoubtedly, the staff has rendered excellent service throughout the year, notwithstanding the difficulties created by the abnormal conditions.

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