F.—1.

A new duty delegated to the Department during the year is that of collecting mileage-tax in accordance with the provisions of section 19 of the Finance Act, 1932-33 (No. 2), on motor-vehicles not propelled exclusively by means of motor-spirits. Notwithstanding the vast amount of work that is involved in the licensing of motor-vehicles, particularly at the annual relicensing periods, the business is handled smoothly and efficiently by the departmental organization. The convenience of the public is admirably suited, too, as business of this kind may be transacted at almost any post-office in the Dominion. Details of the work undertaken by the Registrar of Motor-vehicles appear in the report of the Transport Department. Unemployment. The volume of work undertaken on behalf of the Unemployment Board increased during the year, and has now reached high proportions. Under the Unemployment Amendment Act, 1932, the tax on salaries and wages and other classes of income was increased from Id. in every 6s. Bd. to Id. in every Is. Bd., and the liability previously imposed on women was extended to embrace every woman whose income other than salary or wages exceeded £20. Remembering that a great many of the transactions are in small amounts, the following particulars of the sums collected during the year give some indication of the work involved : — (a) Quarterly instalments of the general unemployment levy collected amounted to £435,390. (b) The sales of unemployment relief stamps, which are used mainly for the payment of wagestax, amounted to £1,284,660. In addition, wages-tax amounting to £941,820 was paid in cash to the Post Office. (c) An amount of £883,870 was paid through the Post Office in respect of income other than salaries and wages. (d) Under some of the unemployment schemes the relief workers obtain payment of their wages through the Post Office. The wages which are paid by local bodies to men engaged on. relief works are refunded to the local bodies through the Post Office. Wages vouchers paid during the year totalled £3,194,767. In addition, the failure by some taxpayers to furnish declarations of income when due or to promptly pay the emergency unemployment charge necessitated numerous inquiries and added very substantially to the volume of work. In a number of instances the inquiries led to prosecutions for failure to comply with the law. Postmasters continue to render valuable and efficient service as certifying officers and as Government representatives on local Unemployment Committees. TELEGRAPH AND TOLL SERVICES. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TELEGRAPH AND RADIO-TELEGRAPH QUESTIONS. An International Conference to consider, in accordance with the International Convention, telegraph and radio - telegraph matters met at Madrid on the 3rd September, the deliberations extending until the 10th December. A number of amendments to the regulations governing the acceptance of cable messages were decided on, the principal of which are as follows : — Effective from Ist April, 1933 — I. The system of week-end cable messages is abolished. 11. (a) The charge for daily letter-telegrams to be at the rate of one-third of ordinary full rate per word ; and (b) The minimum payment to be equivalent to that for a message of twenty-five words, each additional word to be charged at the rate of one-third of ordinary full rate per word. 111. The requirement that figures and commercial marks must not exceed one-third of chargeable words in text and signature to still apply to deferred and daily lettertelegrams ; but figures written in words not to be included in the restriction. IV. The charge for urgent messages to be reduced from treble to double rates. To take effect from Ist January, 1934— V. The undermentioned alterations in the conditions under which code words will be accepted for transmission in cable messages : — (а) Code words must not comprise more than five letters, which may be formed without restriction in respect of vowels. (б) Messages containing code words to be charged at the rate of 60 per cent, of ordinary full tariff per word. (c) The minimum charge to be equivalent to that for a five-word message. 2—F. 1.

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