RECORD FIGURES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 24, 28 July 1939, Page 11

RECORD FIGURES

REVIEW OF PAST YEAR

REVENUE INCREASES

) An increase of £385,320 in. the revenue collected by the Post and Telegraph Department' during the year ended March 31, 1939, as compared with the aggregate for the previous year, is shown in the annual report of the Department, which was tabled in the House of Representatives today by the Postmaster-General (the Hon. F. Jones), The amount received was £4,687,564, compared with £4,302,244 for 1937-38. Increases in

revenue, were again recorded in re- \ spect of all phases of the Department's | activities. Payments for the year in respect of working expenses (including iiiterest on capital liability amount- i ing to £588,000) totalled £4,529,358. The. excess of receipts over payments' j was £158,206. . '.1 Post Office Savings Bank deposits were £30,^34,292, compared with £33,041,082 during the previous year, i Interest Credited to depositors1 amounted to £1,726,574. . The withdrawals totalled £34,597,708, compared 'with £29,629,074 in the preceding year. The amount at credit of depositors at March 31 was £.60,710,087. The number of accounts open at March 31 was 946,822, which is 26.017 in excess of the total recorded at the end of 1937-38 TRIBUTE TO STAFF. "'During the period—over three years—the Department has been under my control I have lost no opportunity! of acquainting myself with the ramifications of the service and the diversified duties of the staff, and I view with pleasure and. satisfaction the commendable spirit of service and pride in achievement that characterise the- work of officers of all ranks," said the Minister. "Heavy increases in work are met cheerfully, emerr gencies are faced confidently, and new systems and services necessitated by changes in conditions or in legislation are introduced without affecting the efficiency of the organisation as a whole. Above all, opportunities of serving the public are accepted with alacrity. I appreciate that in, giving good service officers are actuated by the desire to advance in .status by demonstrating their worth to the Department, and it is pleasing to record that towards the end of the year the Government was able to raise the 'salaries of some seven hundred officers, most of the increases being made retrospective to April 1, 1938.

"The building programme which was drawn up in 1936 is well advanced Since my previous report was presented in June, 1938, the erection of eighi new post office buildings, seven postmasters' residences, and nine other buildings has been completed, and additions and alterations have been made to. a number of existing buildings

"At the close of the year the number of telephone subscribers in the Dominion was nearly 158,000, the highest .on record. , After allowing for i-elinquishments the increase in subscribers for the year was 9755, or 6.6 per. cent. Toll calls also reached a ■record.total, the number handled being .15,567,000,. an increase of more than I,ooo^ooo^ calls, or 7.5 per cent.* over last year's figures;, : ' .-

"The large increase in telephone toll traffic over: recent" years; has necessi-, tated additional toll outlets, and during the past twelve months an unprecedented number of new circuits was ■provided between the principal centres of the Dominion. While the extensive programme for the expansion of the toll system is-not yet complete, the additional facilities provided ' during tiie year have eased considerably the heavy traffic' loads previously carried on many important circuits."

The report stated that the volume of work performed by the P. and T. Department on behalf of other-.Govern-ment . departments continued to expand. The total sum handled in this .respect during the year amounted to approximately £62,000,000, an increase of about £9,0.00.000 on the previous years total. I

P. AMD T. SERVICE