TELEGRAPH BUSINESS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2662, 6 January 1916, Page 7

TELEGRAPH BUSINESS

NEW CHARGES AND THE REVENUE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, January 5. Sir Joseph Ward, Minister of Finance, who arrived from the south tonight, said that on his return to Welington he would issue a statement re tho finances of the Dominion to the .end of December. As. an. indication of the manner -in which the increased charges on telegrams affected the revenue, Sir Joseph Ward gave the following comparative figures:— Ordinary telegrams—November, 1914, 451,527; November, 1915, 455,635. All telegrams—November, 1914, November, 1915, 827,202. The, increased revenue from ordinary telegrams in November last was £3567, and oii all telegrams £5124. The gross revenue in November, 1914, was £36,172 'and in November, 1915, 41,475. Tlie 'net revenue was £26,604 in November, 1914, and £31,628 iu November/1915. The Press messages 'sent in November, 1914, totalled 39,059, and in November, 1915, 26,025, a decrease of 13,034. The increased revenuo ill November was £143, which indicated that the newspapers, naturally, and rightly 'as ho thought, had not availed themselves of tho wires to tho same extent as prior to the increased rates. He was disposed to think that the increased rates under tho various headr ings in tho Telegraph Department- could not mako the Department self-support-ing; and he would bo agreeably surprised if the Department was able to provide revenue for the expenditure necessary. They would have to wait i few months before the actual position was jenown.