F.-l.

Sess. 11.—1897. NEW ZEALAND.

POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1896.

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

My Lokd, — General Post Office, Wellington, 13th September, 1897. I have the honour to submit to your Excellency the Report on the Post and Telegraph Department for the year 1896, with the usual statement of revenue and expenditure to the 31st March last. I have the honour to be, Your Lordship's most obedient servant, E. J. Seddon, Postmaster-General and Electric Telegraph Commissioner. His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand.

REPORT. A considerable expansion of business in all branches of the department during the year has again to be recorded. The following statement shows the revenue and expenditure for the financial year ended 31st March, 1897 :— Revenue. £ a. d. I Expenditure. £ s. d. Stamps used for postage (estimated) .. 225,000 00 j Salaries .. .. .. .. 208,459 Oil Money-order and postal-note commission Conveyance of mails by sea .. .. 44,604 12 5 collected in the colony .. .. 15,587 6 0 Conveyance of inland mails .. .. 34,056 5 2 Money-order commission received from Conveyance of mails by railway .. 14,538 16 8 foreign offices .. .. ■• 550 9 0 Money-order commission credited to Private box and bag fees .. .. 5,354 10 0 foreign offices .. .. .. 1,313 611 Miscellaneous receipts (postal) .. 15,990 0 6 Maintenance and repairs of telegraphOrdinary and Press telegrams .. 97,452 18 7 lines, and miscellaneous .. .. 46,755 4 3 Telephone exchanges .. .. 29,248 19 5 Telegraph cable subsidies .. .. 3,972 8 1 Miscellaneous receipts (telegraph) .. 2,932 17 6 353,699 14 5 Balance of revenue over expenditure .. 38,417 6 7 £392,117 1 0 £392,117 1 0 The increase in revenue was £26,389 14s. 7d., or 7-22 per cent. There was a substantial increase under all heads excepting miscellaneous telegraph receipts, which show a decrease. The expenditure was £353,699 14s. 5d., an increase of 6-43 per cent. The balance of revenue over expenditure was £38,417 6s. 7d., as compared with £33,402 Is. 9d. the previous year. The estimated postage value of official correspondence sent through the post was £81,609, and the value of Government telegrams £23,118 2s. 6d. —a total of £104,727 2s. 6d., representing the value of services performed by the department for which no payment was received—a sum equal to 26-71 per cent, of the cash receipts. If to the balance of revenue over expenditure. £38,417 6s. 7d., the value of the official correspondence and Government telegrams be added, there is a balance of £143,144 9s. Id. in favour of the department on the year's transactions. 27,874,353 letters were posted in the colony, an increase of 905,398. The number of forwarded telegrams of all codes was 2,520,169, an increase of 395,958. 67 post-offices were established and 6 reopened. The number open at the close of the year was 1,464. 723 inland-mail services (excluding services by railway) were in operation during the year. \t the close of the year there were 6,284 miles of telegraph-line and 16,470 miles of wire. i—F. 1.