THE POST OFFICE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1239, 16 September 1884, Page 2

THE POST OFFICE.

During last year the Dead Letter Office, I received and disposed of no fewer than !)b\797 letters. Of these 69,452 were opened and returned to the writers ; 8143 were returned unopened by the Chief Postmaster. The undermentioned articles of value were found enclosed in letters opened in the Dead Letter Office, and returned to the senders where practicable : —l5B money orders for £564 4s 8d ; 37 bank drafts, £IBSO 6s 4d ; 86 cheques, £491 13s 6d , 2 promissory notes, £SO Oa 8d ; stamps, £7 14s 3d ; bank notes, £165 ; gold, £25 10s ; silver and copper, £3 14s 2§d ; representing a total of £3161 3s 7£d. In addition 1 gold ring, 1 gold chain, 1 gold brooch, 1 gold cross, 1 pair of earrings, set with jewels, 1 greenstone and gold brooch and earrings, 1 silver brooch, 1 gold horseshoe pin, 1 silver locket, 1 gold open-faced watch, 1 gold Geneva watch, 1 silver lever hunting watch, 1 silver hunting watch with chaiD, 1 nugget of gold, and and 6 rubies were received at the dead letter office; 1386 unclaimed registered letters were dealt with ; 44 letters detained for postage were received, 9 of which were subsequently forwarded ; 795 newspapers and 436 books and other articles without addresses were alto received. Of these 97 were delivered. 87 letters were posted without addresses ; 23 letters with obscene and libellous addresses were intercepted ; 143 letters were imperfectly i and wrongly addressed ; 1311 letters were refused ; 4 letters were posted with pre-viously-used stamps. The report also contains some information regarding the periodical literature of the colony. It appears that 25 newspapers were registered during the year for transmission through the post, and altogether 167 newspapers have been registered at the General Post Office. Of these 47 are published daily, 12 tri-weekly, 23 twice weekly, 53 weekly, 1 fortnightly, and 31 monthly ; eleven magazines also were registered, and 156 of this clash of publication have been admitted to the privilege of the magazine post since it was established.