NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAPH DEPARTEMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAPH DEPARTEMENT.

t: “The thirteenth'’annual report of the operations'df the Telegraph' Department has been. aid!before Parliament by Dr. Lemon.' The report'states that— •' ,P ! -V 1 ! The total earnings of the department for the year 1876-77, exclusive of the value of General Government telegrams,. amount.to £65,844 155.i3d., being £2929 4s. lid, in excess of. the receipts of last year. ;■ This amount hr 421355 45.,, 9d.. less than, the,,estimate, Which was set down at.£67,p00, aeJrquTnstance, fully. accounted for. by the fact that no' stations .of importance have, during the 'year been opened which have proved any great sources of revenue. The number of telegrams transmitted during the year 'was 1,124,432, being an increase, over the previous year' of 73,346. Comparing this increase with.that of the increase of. the year 1875-76 over the year. 1874-75, it will be seen that the. increased number transmitted falls short by - some 60,612. , Talcing into account 'the value of the General Government telegrams, the total earnings of the department for .the year amounted.to, £82,669 45., and,: as will be seen on.reference to the debtor and creditor statement, this exceeds, the expenditure in maintenance of lines and stations by £1384 ss. 2d.‘" The cost of maintenance, of for the year was £63,363 10s.-10d,, and of lines '£17,931' Bs. The former item shows an in-; creased expenditure over the previous year of £1656 16s. 5d., and, the latter a decrease of £3143 os. Bcl. .

The number of telegrams transmitted during the year, as compared with the number of letters posted during the same period, shows that 20"29 telegrams were sent for every ,100 letters. The comparative, number for the previous, year .was.22'2l. The proportion for the present year, is, therefore, somewhat less, but the fact that the number of letters shows an increase of 809,047 has to be taken into consideration. ...

The number of money order telegrams sent during the year was 12,336, representing a value of <£55,322 25.. 6d,, being an increase. Of 1624 messages, and £6333 ss. 3d., as compared with the previous year. , The commission collected by the Post Office on these transactions amounts to £1554 12s. Bd.; and after deducting £616 165., due to the Telegraph, Department as fees on telegrams, there remains to the credit of the .Post Office £937 16s. 3d., being within a fraction of I’7 per cent, upon the total amount transmitted. Upon reference to, table O, it will be seen that the largest number of orders were issued in Dunedin, Wellington coming, next, and Auckland and Christchurch third in point of num-. bers ; but Auckland’s transactions , exceeded those of Christchurch by more than £ISOO. During the year, 105 miles of line, carrying : 176 Smiles of vyire,'have been erected. . The number of stations open to the public on the 3 O.th June was 155,15 of which were opened during the past year, 7 being in the North Island and 8 in the South Island.

The . coat per mile for maintenance of line was £5 12s. lid., the extent of line maintained being 3174 miles (85 miles line not included in maintenance table—see foot-note, table G.) On' ; 'the 30th June, 1877, 3259 miles of line, carrying 7423 miles of wire, were in circuit, showing ah increased mileage upon the previous; year of line, 105 miles; and wire, 176. Owing to the numerous demands made to the department, for establishing telegraph stations, as well as the constantly increasing work,* it is found necessary to keep a class of cadets constantly in, training. . This accounts for the increased nominal strength of the department,, which, at the 30th June, 1877, was 612, as compared with 567 of the previous year. ■ / ’ Since the, date of the last report the new offices at Dunedin have- been completed, and afford the greatest satisfaction. It was found necessary to make additions to the head office of the department, sis well as to the Wellington instrument, room, A large and commodious ; clearing-house has been erected, affording the greatest convenience for the pro,, per checking of the accounts. A new office for . the General Manager has been added, as also a ! workshop for the mechanician. The old clearing-house has been converted into an instrument gallery, and will afford sufficient accommodation for eight additional instruments. . Since the date of the last report, the duplex system of telegraphy has been further extended between Christchurch and, Dunedin, Government. Buildings and Blenheim, and Blenheim and Dunedin. This latter section is about 500 miles, in length, and is one of the longest;circuits upon which the system has yet been tried without translation. .

The Government. Buildings and Blenheim duplex is worked on the No. 2 Cook Strait cabled thus,giving the three, wires of No. 1 for the work of commerce. Onithe 2nd November, 1876, the Blenheim office j was totally destroyed by fire. By the strenuous exertions of the officers comprising the staff, fill the instruments of value were saved,’ and the wires joined through until tem-. porary accommodation could be obtained. Little; delay , was , experienced Temporary offices are still occupied until the completion of new office! for which tenders have been let.

ri Arrangements are now being made for taking over the whole of the railway telegraphs hitherto worked by the late Provincial Government of Canterbury. At every railway telegraph station telegrams will be accepted from the public for transmission, and at every railway station adjacent to a telegraph station (as fin the: case of Timaru) telegrams will be received iromthepuhlio and forwarded to the telegraph office proper for transmission. The details of working of railway wires, so as to prove of the greatest advantage to both departments, without .impairing the efficiency of either, are now under consideration.

Appended to the report are plans showing the various telegraphic circuits, as also maps showing the geographical position of the various telegraph stations throughout the colony.