POST OFFICE AND TELEGRAPH RETURNS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1359, 22 September 1883, Page 2

POST OFFICE AND TELEGRAPH RETURNS.

The Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraph’s report for the year ending March 31st, 1882, states that there has been a large and general increase in the business of the department ; and it may be said that the past year has been more than usually prosperous with the post office and telegraph. The number of letters dealt with was 30,525,579, an increase of nearly five mil-

lions, or 19,414 per cent. The number of telegrams of all codes transmitted was 1,570,189, an increase of 131,417 receipts. The expendituie of tho year increased at the rate of £21,255 lid, an abnormally largo increase. The total revenue from all sources was £204,634 18s 2d, as against £254,547 10s 3d expenditure, showing a balance of £10,087 7s lid of revenue over expenditure. The estimated value of stamps used for postage is £130,000. An extra expenditure of £34,672 has been incurred during the year in the following manner:—For telegraph extension, £18,654 ; for new buildings, £9,938, and £0,090 for buildings, alterations, repairs, office fittings, &c. The numbei of letters, post cards, bookpackets, pattern-parcels, and newspapers delivered and posted during the year 1882, as compared with 1881, show an increase as follows :—Letters, 4,967,648 ; post-cards, 86,555 ; book-packets and pattern-parcels, 534,873 ; newspapers, 1,067,056.

The number of letters posted by each person was estimated to be 28,97. The several letter carriers delivered 4,123,087 letters, 140,973 post-cards, 160,108 books and parcels, and 1,068,628 newspapers. Dead Letter Office.

The unclaimed letters dealt with show an increase of 51 per cent, compared with the number disposed of in the previous year. There were also 1,650 book-packets and circulars returned to foreign countries, 5,905 returned to the senders through the Dead Letter Office, and 6,280 returned by chief post-masters—a total of 13,741 book-packets and circulars.

The following articles of value were found inclosed in letters opened in the Dead Letter Office, and returned to the senders where practicable : —156 money orders valued £528 2s2d; 57 bank drafts, £5,341 10s 3d; 86 cheques, £799 19s 0 ; promissory note for £52 8s; postage stamps, £7 3s 8d ; bank notes, £148; gold, £l3 10s ; silver and copper, £2 3s lid; representing a total of £6,892 17s.

In addition to the above there were 4 gold rings, set with jewels ; 2 plain gold rings, 1 ladies silver watch and chain, 3 silver Waltham hunting watches, 1 silver lever watch, 1 greenstone bar, gold mounted ; 4 gold nuggets, portion of gold chain, with 3 keys and 2 seals attached, Maltese greenstone cross, gold mounted, and kauri-gum ornament, book-shaped; gold exhibition medals, and a silver and pebble broch were received at the Dead Letter office. 1,240 unclaimed registered letters were dealt with ; 55 letters were detained for postage, 5 of which were subsequently forwarded; 439 newspapers and 360 other articles without addresses were received, 62 of which were delivered ; 62 letters were posted without addresses ; 9 letters were posted with obscene and libellous addresses ; 121 letters imperfectly and wrongly addressed ; 1,205 letters were refused ; and 2 letters were posted with previously used postage stamps. Savings Bank.

During the year 18 additional Savings Banks offices were opened and 1 closed. The total number of Savings Banks offices open at the close of the year was 205. 21,014 new accounts were opened, and 14,505 closed. The number of open accounts on the 31st December last was 57,517- Of these 41,724 had balances at credit of under £20:7,112 of from £2O to £5O; 4,333 of from £5O to £100; 3,008 of from £lOO to £2OO ; 886 of from £2OO to £3OO ; 237 of from £3OO to £4OO : 121 of from £4OO to £5OO, and 96 of over £5OO.

129,952 deposits amounting to £1,325,852 2s Ud were received. The total amount at the credit of deposit, rs on December 31st was £1,470,950 13s Od, and increase of £238,162 16s 9d for the year. Interest to the amount of £54,909 13s lid was credited to depositors. The rate of interest was not altered during the year. Money Orders. The total number of money order offices open at the end of the year was 207. The number of orders issued during the year were 148,162 for £499,368 9s lid; showing an increase of 12,606 orders for £47,186 2s 3d. 117,021 orders for £393,945 3s lOd were paid, the increase being 9,615 orders and £40,614 6s Ud.

The number of money orders issued for payment in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and the Australian Colonies was 39,246 for £139,172 5s 2d ; and 8,497 orders L 34,506 6s 7d were issued in those countries for payment in New Zealand a balance of L104,G65 18s 7d against the Colony. The revenue derived from money orders amounted to L 8,267 ( Js Bd, and increase of L6SS Is 3d.