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GENERAL ELECTION AND LICENSING AND MILITARY TRAINING POLLS, 1949 The general election and licensing poll held on the 30th November, 1949, and the Maori election held the previous day resulted in the usual large volume of telegraph traffic. The communications organization worked very smoothly throughout, and a new record was established in the handling time of telegrams containing particulars of the voting in each electorate. The average transmission time for such messages from lodgment until receipt in Wellington was 3.15 minutes where one transmission was involved and 6.1 minutes in the case of two transmissions. The communication arrangements also worked smoothly on the occasion of the Compulsory Military Training Poll held on the 3rd August, 1949, the extra volume of traffic being handled expeditiously. EMPIRE GAMES The telegraph facilities provided in connection with the Empire Games held at Auckland in February earned enthusiastic praise from overseas and local newspaper representatives and Games officials. The provision of adequate facilities for handling both internal and overseas telegraph traffic was a major undertaking. Offices were opened at Eden Park, Western Springs, Olympic Pool, and at Lake Karapiro for the acceptance and transmission of telegrams, teleprinter circuits being provided from these points direct into the Auckland and Wellington Telegraph Offices. Approximately a million and a half words of press traffic were handled over these circuits ; approximately a million words being transmitted to New Zealand newspapers, and a half million being for newspapers overseas. All traffic was handled with a minimum of delay. SPECIAL TELEGRAPH FACILITIES PROVIDED DURING TOURS BY OVERSEAS SPORTS TEAMS Prompt handling of overseas press traffic relating to the matches played by the Australian Cricket Team, the Australian Rugby Union Team, and the Australian Rugby League Football Team, which toured New Zealand during the year was secured by providing machine-printing facilities at sports-grounds for direct communication with the overseas cable terminal at Wellington or Auckland. TELEPHONE-EXCHANGE SERVICES Each year since the end of the war has been one of record achievement in the provision of telephone service ; nevertheless, the Dominion waiting list has continued to grow. The following table shows the trend since the Ist April, 1946

Telephone Statistics Since 1st April, 1946

Total net gain in subscribers since 31st March, 1945 : 65,845, or 34-4 per cent.

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Year Ended 31st March, Number of Subscribers' Increase Over Previous Year. Number Installed During the Year. Number of Waiting Applicants Stations. Number. Percentage. at End of Year. 1945 1946 .. 1947 1948 1949 1950 191,189 197,513 209,505 222,504 238,292 257,034 J 11,992 12,999 15,788 18,742 3-3 6-7 6-2 71 7-9 10j 573 17,002 17,883 21,067 24,806 34,800 41,292 48,378 55,309