THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4837, 22 September 1876, Page 3

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL.

The annual report of the Postmaster-Gene-ral has just been printed and distributed. The.decision to introduce the penny post card is referred to, and it is promised that the arrangement shall be carried into effect as early as practicable. Attention has been directed to the desirableness of establishing penny savings banks in connection with schools, under regulations similar to those of the penny bank system, which has been worked with such marked success in the United Kingdom, and also in Ghent and Belgium. The report says the importance of the matter has been fully recognised, and every facility will be afforded to penny banks established not only at schools, but at factories and other establishments throughout the colony. The revenue collected within the colony and the expenditure for salaries are compared with the results of the year 1868-69. In the latter-named year the revenue collected within the colony was £45,561; last year it was £80,656. The increase is £77 Os. 6d. per cent.; the increase per cent, ot salaries has for the same period been £22 11s. Bd. The number of letters and newspapers received and despatched during the years 1874 and 1875 was;— Letters. 1875. ' 1874. Increase. Received .. 5,053,403 .. 4,339,165 Despatched.. 5,374,448 .. 4,719,291 10,427,851 .. 9,058,466 .. 1,369,395 Newspapers. —— Received .. 4,026,457 .. 3,872,66 S Despatched ~ 2,784,820 .. 2,434,024 6,811,277 .. 6,306,602 .. 504,585 The increase of letters was equal to 15J per cent., and of newspapers 8 per cent. Comparing the number of letters despatched with the population of the colony, it is found that the proportion is 14‘29 letters to each head of population, as against 12'0S for 1874. During this year the average in Victoria was 16'39, and in New South Wales 16‘38. FINANCIAL. The actual expenditure for the financial year just ended amounted to £139,321 Bs. 4d. Of this sum, £72.743 Bs. 3d. represents the c«st ot conveyance of mails by sea. The payment for salaries was £32,135 2s. Bd., and inland mail services absorbed £29,770 2s. 7d.| INLAND MAIL SERVICES. The cost for the carriage of inland mails amounted to £28,699 os. lOd. for the calendar year 1875. There were 330 services in operation; of these 83 were carried on by coach and mail cart, 153 by horse, 29 on foot, 51 by water, and 14 by railway. These services exceeded 7030 miles in length ; and the gross number of miles travelled with the mails was 1,464,112, at an average cost of 4Jd. per mile, a fraction higher than in 1874. BUILDINGS. Under this head it is said—“ The want of a new Post-office at Wellington is seriously felt. Should business continue to increase at the present rate it will be absolutely necessary to procure other and more commodious offices.” MAIL STEAM SERVICES. The following statement shows the payments made on account of the San Francisco and Galle mail services, and the postages estimated to be due, for the year 1875 : San Francisco Service : Dr.—Payments on accoun ot main lines, £48,000: interprovincial services, mail agents, &c., £3000; total, £51,000. Cr.—Postages from London. £10,224 5s ; postages collected in New Zealand 11,232 ; recoveries from non-contracting colonies, £1483 125.; total, £22,939 17s. 7d.; net cost to the colony, £28,060 2s. sd. Galle and Suez Service: Dr.—Payments to Victoria, £9373 10s. 7d.; intercolonial service, gratuities, Sc., £5510 : total, £14,883 10s. 7d. Cr.—Postages from London, £3273 : postages collected in New Zealand, £3080; total, £6953 ; net cost to the colony, £7930 10s. 7d. MONET ORDERS. The money orders issued during the year were 73,027 for £293,481 10s. 9d, against 62,712 for £263,164 7s. 9d. in 1874 ; the increase being 10,313 in number, and £30,317 3s. in amount. The money orders paid were 52,132 for £211,615 16s. 2d., against 44,364 for £186,394 9s. 6d. in 1874 ; the increase being 7768 in number, and £25,122 6s. Bd, in amount. The money orders issued in New Zealand on offices in the United Kingdom and Australian colonies were 24,426 for £99,929 175., and there were 3964 orders for £18,603 9s. 6d., issued by those offices on New Zealand. There was accordingly an excess of upwards of £BI,OOO in the money orders sent out of the colony over those received. The telegraph was used during the year for the transmission of 10,144 orders for £47,134 2s, 4d., against 90G0 for £44,026 12s. 6d. in 1874 ; the increase being 1084 in number, and £3007 9s. lOd. in amount. The total amount of commission received from the issue of money orders was £4950 19s. 4d., or £557 17s. Id. more than the amount received in 1874. SAVINGS BANK. The high rate of interest offered by the banks and investment institutions has diminished the Savings Bank deposits. A similar effect has been noticeable in some of the neighboring colonies. A comparative statement of the Money Order and Savings Bank business of the Post Offices in Victoria and New Zealand during the year 1875, should be read with interest. The following are a few suggestive lines: —

In Victoria interest at the rate of £4 per cent, on deposits up to £IOOO is allowed, while in New Zealand the rates are £4 10s. per cent, on deposits not exceeding £2OO, and £4 per cent, on deposits exceeding £2OO, but not exceeding £SOO.

New Zealand. Victoria. Population 375,850 823,272 £ s. d. £ s. d. Money Orders Issued .. 293,481 10 0 373,435 18 10 Money Orders Paid .. 211,616 16 2 393,383 6 2 Savinks Bank Deposits 657,653 4 0 395,842 12 9 Savings Bank 'With* 729,759 17 9 476,762 12 8 Excess of Withdrawals 72,106 13 9 80,909 19 11 Balance at credit of Depositors 727,295 7 8 577,380 19 4