P. & T. ACCOUNTS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1929, Page 3

P. & T. ACCOUNTS

BIG INCREASE IN TOLL CALLS

DEPABTMENT’S ANNUAL REPORT.

WELLINGTON, Aug. 27.

A credit balance of £523,809 is disclosed in the annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department presented to Parliament 'co-day. Revenue amounted to £3,445,546, and working expenses to £2,921,736, including ■b4uß,o;X> interest. The contracts for the performance of mail services in the South island were re-let during the latLer part of 1928. The number of mail services in the South Island was approximately only lietil the number in the North Island, competition for the South Island servicas was not so keen as it was in connection with the re-letting during the previous year of the contracts for the Korth Island services, but a feature of the South Island re-letting was the number of “block” tenders received. Owing, in some measure, to this fact, a saving of £2IOO was effected in the cost of the services, in operation as at January Ist. 1929, compared with the cost of those in existence on December 31st. 1928. Considerable changes were effected in many routes, enabling a .greater number of settlers to participate in the services at little or noi increase in cost to the Department.

Money orders issued totalled 81 7,»S 5 to the value of £4,977,522, compared with 803,481 orders and £4.995,000 for the previous year. The commission* £24,883, was an increase of £IOB. Although the withdrawal from the Savings Bank exceeded the deposits by £859,559, there was c mpared with 1927-28 an improvement of £2,000,000 for the year. Deposits totaled £27,252,381, and the withdrawals £28,111,940 as against respectively £27,611,066 and £30,584,997. The interest credited to depositors was £1,745,050, and the amount standing at credit on March 31st. totalled £4B 644,217, an increase of

nearly £900,000 over the previous year. It was the aim of the Department to- bring the telephone within the reach of all, and while the telegraph had suffered a permanent • check, through the ektent to which the telephone was being used, it was likely, where .long distances were concerned, to remain the mam avenue of communication. In regard to carrier current telephony, the Minister predicted that in the near future the system would enable a : person in Auckland fo converse with' a person in Dunedin at any hour of the’ day or night, and with the same facility as if he were in the same I 'city.' 0 "

The outsariiling feature of the telephone business during the year was the increased use of the telephone’for t 11 purposes, the total number of calls being over 10,000,0C0, representing an increases on the previous' year’s traffic of approximately 10 per cent. The toll revenue amounted to £442,896,' an increase of , over" ll per cent. While this .greater- use of the toll lines was stimulated to some extent by greater commercial use of the telephone in the social life of the community, probably the largest contributing factors were the increaesd speed of service, the improved quality of speech, and tb< % greatly extended range of service that has been provided during recent years. The toll revenue f>r the year exceeded the revenue derived from telegrams, the relative figures being toll . £442,896, telegrams £404.565. Ten years ago the corresponding figures were toll £169,550, tel'egrams £316,099. The Minister predicted that if the present rate' of increase were maintained motor regulations w n uld soon reach the 200,000 mark. The Precision Engineering Co. had secured a contract for the manufacture of identification plates for the three years ending itiay 31st. 1932.