INCREASED REVENUE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 759, 7 March 1910, Page 7

INCREASED REVENUE

SUCCESS OF THE PENNY POST. FACILITIES FOB SETTLERS. HOME SAVINGS BANKS TO BE rNTEODUCED. (By Tolojraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, March 6. Some interesting comparisons and statements in regard to the business of the Post and Telegraph Department were made by the Prime Minister and Post-master-General (Sir Joseph Ward) to a "Herald" representative in the course of an interview at.To Aroha on Satur'day. In dealing with the revenne of the Department for the first ten months of the current financial year, ended January 31, Sir Joseph said that the results were exceedingly .satisfactory. The revenue for the ten months was .£769,657, as compared with. £713,585 for ; .the corresponding ■ period of the previous year. The postal revenue proper had increased .by 8.80 per cent, and for nearly the whok of this increase the penny post wai responsible. .

On the telegraph side also the revenue had advanced by 6.59, the largest share of the increase being produced by the telephone division. ■ .

He hoped, he said, to end this month with a total post and telegraph revenue for the financial year of ,£980,000; which would be considerably in excess of his estimate. .

. In speaking of the extensive reduction in tho rates of money order and postal note commission made a couple of yeara ago, Sir Joseph said that the wisdom of the step was proved by the fact'that tho loss in revenue was being rapidly recouped by the.large increase of business. As an evidence of the progress of the Department, he mentioned that the revenue had more than doubled in ten years, it having risen during that period from .£445,340 to £920,021, and this despite the very great redactions in rates that had taken place during that period. The business of the Post Office Savings Bank had also shown a gTeat increase, the amount to the credit of depositors at the end of last year being £12,666,892; which showed an increase of over half a million for the year. • ■ Turning to the future, Sir Joseph stated that extensive economies that had been rendered possible by improved methods of working, and of the,most modern appliances, were being carried out, and these, he hoped, would enable him to announce further concessions to the patrons of the Depart ment. Those just now under considera--tion, he said, were mainly directed to the improvement of the services in country districts,. such as a reduction in. parcel ■ rates, and an increase in the weight-of parcels, the inauguration of rural postal deliveries, with the. ultimate object of, getting a. delivery at the door of every farmhouse in the country, and a greater extension of telephone facilities in remote country districts. He hoped to be able'to provide fox most of these out of the savings referred to, and he thought that no one would grudge the additional facilities to country settlers,, even if the proposed innovations did-not at first pay their way. -.- . : ,- ■ Another new departure in the country districts would be the introduction of the 'Home Savings Banks." These took the form of. steel boxes, which were lent to depositors as receptacles for their savings, but which could be opened only at post offices where. the ' amounts contained in the boxes were credited to the depositors. The Waikato would be the 'first country district to which the Home Savings Bank would be supplied, and it was hoped to have them in working order in that district within a couple of months. ■...-■

The Prime Minister said that he was > very pleased to say that the revenue from * income tax was also showing an encouraging increase. The. amount received for . the present financial, year up till the middle. of, February was .£307.391 The estimate of .£300,000 for the year was thus already exceeded, and it was calculated that the revenue for the whole year : wonJd closely approximate last year's collection ■ of . ;£321,0«, notwithstanding the comparative' depression that existed during the year ended March 31, 1909, on the. income returns,'of which period the current year's assessments had been based. ■;- •....'■