P.—lA.

1875. NEW ZEALAND.

TELEGRAH DEPARTMENT. (ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT.)

Presented to both Souses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Office of the Commissioner of Telegraphs, Wellington, My Lord,— 20th July, 1875. I have the honor to submit to your Lordship a report as to the operations of the Telegraph Department of New Zealand, during the year ended the 30th June, 1875, being the Eleventh Annual Report of the Department. I have, &c, William H. Reynolds, Acting Commissioner of Telegraphs. His Excellency the Most Hon. the Marquis of Normanby, K.C.M.G., Governor of New Zealand. ♦

REPORT. The revenue for the year 1874-75 was estimated at £55,000, but it has exceeded that amount by over £800. During the year, 917,128 telegrams of all codes were transmitted, being an increase of 164,299, or more than 17 per cent, over the previous year. Taking into account the value of General Government telegrams transmitted (£13,679 10s. 9d.), the total earnings of the department for the year amount to £69,536 12s. 3d., which, after deducting the cost of the Signals Department, maintenance of lines, &c., leaves a balance of £9,460 13s. 4d. as interest upon the capital expended. The number of telegrams transmitted during the year (917,128), compared with the number of interprovincial letters posted during the year, shows that 22- 59 telegrams were sent for every 100 letters posted. The proportion is not quite so great as last year, but the fact that there is nearly one million increase in the number of letters posted as compared with the number of letters for the previous year, should not be overlooked. It will be seen that in one instance the proportion reaches 29"76, and in the cases of Southland and Wellington 28-41 and 27-34 respectively. The number of Money Order telegrams sent during the year was 9,650, representing a value of £46,489 19s. 10d., or an increase of 1,649 messages, and of £8,437 ss. Id., as compared with the previous year. The commission collected by the Post Office was £1,257 55.; and after deducting £482 10s., due to the Telegraph Department as fees on the telegrams, there remained to the credit of the Post Office, as commission on exchange, £774 155., or more than £1| per cent, on the amount transmitted. Dunedin, Wellington, and Christchurch, and their respective sub-offices, issued the largest number of orders; and Dunedin, Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch paid the largest number. To enable masters of vessels to ascertain the state of the weather prevailing at any port to which they might be bound, or at any intermediate port, the system of sixpenny telegrams, including reply, was introduced. The facilities thus afforded, when generally known, will doubtless be taken great advantage of by maritime men. A like facility for obtaining news at a reduced rate was also granted to all Chambers of Commerce throughout the colony who might be desirous of acquiring for public information the arrivals and departures of shipping at the various ports. The consideration in this case asked for by the department was, that telegrams containing shipping intelligence, the same being positively for public and not private information, be paid for at the rate of 3d. per telegram for I—F.IA.