- F.—l.

MISSING POSTAL PACKETS. During the year ended the 31st December, 1934, 5,405 complaints concerning the non-delivery of postal packets were investigated. In 2,757 cases, or 51 per cent, of the total number, the articles were traced or accounted for satisfactorily, as follows - Sender responsible for delay .. .. .. .. .. .. 854 Addressee responsible for delay .. .. .. .. 1, 029 Post Office responsible for delay .. .. .. .. .. 222 No delay, or responsibility not fixed .. .. .. .. .. 652 In 2,648 cases the manner of the disposal of the postal packets could not be determined. This represents a percentage of 0-0011 of the total number of articles posted during the year. MONEY-ORDERS. There was an appreciable increase of money-order business during the year, 654,621 orders of a value of £3,209,713 being issued. This represents an increase compared with the previous year of 18,947 in number and £96,984 in value. POSTAL NOTES. Greater use was made of the postal-note service this year than last. The sales were 3,325,561 postal notes of a value of £1,140,69-5, against 2,883,070 of a value of £1,061,946 during the previous year. The commission totalled £29,077 os. Id., an increase of £2,827 17s. 2d. on the commission earned in 1933-34. BRITISH POSTAL ORDERS. British postal-order business decreased slightly, 72,971 orders of a value of £33,977 14s. being sold, as against 77,229 of a value of £37,921 3s. 4d. for the previous year. The number of orders paid was 27,978 of a value of £14,651 55., compared with 28,056 of a value of £14,643 9s. 6d. paid during the previous year. SAVINGS-BANK. Deposits lodged in the Post Office Savings-bank during the year amounted to £24,179,537, and the withdrawals to £20,946,562, an excess of deposits of £3,232,975. The interest credited to depositors was £1,320,347, and the total amount at the credit of depositors at the end of the year was £49,423,714. During the year savings-bank ledger offices were established at Balclutha (16th June), Cambridge (16th July), Rangiora (16th June), Taihape (Ist May), Te Aroha (16th May), and Te Awamutu (2nd July). From the Ist August, 1934, the rate of interest on deposits in the Post Office Savings-bank was reduced to 3 per cent, on amounts not exceeding £500 and 2| per cent, on amounts exceeding £500 but not exceeding £2,000. Previously, interest on Post Office Savings-bank deposits was payable at the rate of 3 per cent, on amounts not exceeding £1,000 and at 2| per cent, on any amount exceeding £1,000 but not exceeding £2,000. Prom the 13th December, 1934, the Savings-bank regulations were amended to enable accounts to be opened by any person as a trustee under any formal instrument creating a trust. Provision was also made for the acceptance from a depositor of a " general authority " for some person nominated by him to operate on his account. Previously, the only means by which a general authority could be given was by power of attorney. In addition, amendments of a machinery nature were made to certain of the regulations. The provisions of the Savings-bank Regulations under which certain depositors (including savingsbanks, friendly societies, and other non-mercantile bodies) were entitled to receive interest on the amount of their deposits in excess of £2,000 were cancelled from the 28th February, 1935, after which date no interest is payable to any depositor in respect of any amount of his deposit in the Post Office Savings-bank in excess of £2,000. POST OFFICE INVESTMENT CERTIFICATES. The total sales of Post Office investment certificates for the year amounted to £227,958. WORK PERFORMED FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. The volume of work performed by the Department on behalf of other Government Departments continues to expand. The total sum handled in this respect during the year amounted to approximately £34,000,000, an increase o! about £3,000,000 on the previous year's total. Registration op Motor-vehicles and Associated Work. The work involved in dealing with the registration and the annual relicensing of motor-vehicles increased considerably during the year. Registrations showed a remarkable increase, rising by 9,293 compared with those of the previous year, the percentage increase being 85-68. The registration figures for the last two years were 10,846 and 20,139, respectively. The number of licensed vehicles as at the 31st March last was 208,207, an increase of 10,922. The total fees collected by the Department in respect of the registration, licensing, change of ownership, &c., of motor-vehicles during the year amounted to £381,682, compared with £347,381 last year.

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