POST OFFICE TASKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 August 1941, Page 4

POST OFFICE TASKS

BIG VOLUME OF BUSINESS

INTERESTING DETAILS.

INDICATION OF ACTIVITIES

Some interesting details relating to, the varied activities of the P. and T. Department were given at the P. and T. Reunion, held in Masterton last night, by Mr J. Robertson, M.P. Mr Robertson emphasised the wonderful work performed by the postal section with the troops in Crete in the delivery of mail right up to the front line. Out of 25 men engaged in this task in Crete, 18 were left behind. He went on to state that the total number of persons employed in the Department was 15,570 (including 1,862 with the Force). The permanent staff numbered 11,862 and the total salaries paid amounted to £2,901,785. In 1940-41. revenue totalled £5,106,193 and the working expenses were £4.338,902, the excess of revenue being £767,292. In the Post Office Savings Bank, in 194041, deposits totalled £28,607,222, an increase over the previous year’s total or £3,455,935, and the withdrawals were £25,319,146. Interest paid for the year amounted to £1,666,709. The total amount at the credit of depositors was about £63,000,000, and the total number of accounts was 992.792, giving an average amount at credit of £63 8s 3d. The total cash transactions, £362.000,009, were well over £1,000,000 for each working day. Work for other departments totalled £95,000,000. The number of motor vehicles licensed was 311,641. representing £572,489 in fees. Radio licences totalled 355.480, which means 91 sets to every 100 households. Cf 387,000 households in the Dominion, ■280,000 were served by postman and 34,000 by rural mail contractor. Thus 82 per cent of the total households had correspondence delivered to their houses. Telephone exchange subscribers numbered 171,965 and new connections during the year totalled 16.788. Approximately 140 tons of mail a month was handled for the armed forces overseas.