P. AND T. REPORT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1057, 22 August 1930, Page 8

P. AND T. REPORT

DEPARTMENT’S AFFAIRS

GOOD REVENUE INCREASE

THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter PARLIAMENT BLDGS, Thurs During the year ended March 31 ia~ the revenue of the Post and Telegram' Department, according to the annual report submitted to the House today exceeded the revenue for the previn,?’ year by £196,075. the sum bSS £3,641,620, as against £3.445,545 w year. Working expenses totalis' £3,111,199 and £500,000 was invested in the renewals fund, so that the final balance of receipts over expenditm-o was £30.421. lure The Postmaster-General, the Hon J. B. Donald, expresses satisfaction at the efficiency of the service. The i n terest on the capital liability, which included in the working expenses amounted to £451,000, an increase of £53,000 on the amount paid in the previous year. In the savings bank, although th* withdrawals of £29,575,994 exceeded the deposits of £ 28,.j61,854 hv £1,014,140, the sum at the credit of the depositors increased by over £750,000, the interest credited to depositors amounting to £1,806,414. The total sum at the credit of delators was £49,436,491, the average being £33 4s a head for the whole population. The Postmaster-General in the report expresses high appreciation of the work of the staff during the year, par’ ticularly at the time of and after the disastrous West Coast earthquake. The report states that though representations were made for improved salary conditions during the year, ircrea could not be given through the whole service as this would have involved the whole of the public service. Improvements were made in the salaries of 217 officers in the £ 295 a year group, and in those of officers reaching the status manhood in the general division. Regrading was carried out during the year with, in addition to the improvements already mentioned, 241 positions regraded and 152 new positions created above the rank and file of the clerical division. The results from the new commercial branch, the report says, are ver, encouraging, and as the branch becomes established it will be extended to other centres outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. It will also devote its attention to phases other than telephone extension work. The receipts from the cash-on-delivery system on the exchange of the post parcels between New Zealand and Britain, which was abolished last rear were £159.569. MAIL SERVICE Discussing the South Island-Aus-tralia mail service, the report states that following the wreck of the Manuka, the Maheno would carry on the service for one year from January 29. 1930, when the whole question cf the service would be carefully reviewed. The contracts for the services between Auckland and Vancouver, Wellington and San Francisco, and Auckland, Wellington and Sydney were carried out with pleasing regularity, an 3 the contracts which hjid expired on March 31 this year had been renewed for a further 12 months. Except for the earthquake dislocation, the inland mail services were carried on satisfactorily, except that the road service to Westport and Karamea had to be replaced by a sea service twice weekly at an increased subsidy of £865 yearly. The Nelson and Wes: Coast Road service had to be diverted at extra expense via Maruia, and beca.use of the damage to roads it is expected to be a long time before this service is resumed over the old routes. The report makes appreciative reference to the extension of the carriercurrent system on long-distance telephone lines. The toll system had been improved considerably, and it is proposed to extend the system to other centres as traffic grows and warrant' the expense. Referring to radio telephony, the report says it will not be long before a New Zealand-Australia service will be established. Broadcasting was performed satisfactorily during the year by the Radio Broadcasting Company of New Zealand, Limited, and there was a steady increase in the number of licences. At March 31. 1930, the number of licences was 53.407. as compared with 44,609 at the same date in the previous year. A feature of the service was the Increasing use of toll lines for broadcasting important events. The most important event of the year in telephone exchanges was the cutover in the Christchurch exchange to the automatic system. During the year the record number of 12.781 new connections to main stations was made. The total sum handled by the Post Office for other departments during the year was £236.000,006. Good progress was being made with the collection of third party risk premiums. During the year five post office buildings were completed. Approximately £4.000 had to be spent on post office buildings on the West Coast because of the earthquake. Tenders are to be invited shortly for the erection of new post offices in High Street, Christchurch, Taumarunui and Westport-