F.—t

IX

The letters increased 2-89, the books and pattern packets 16-60, newspapers 4-27, parcels 5-91, letter-cards 2-71, post-cards 2-51 per cent. The increase in 1895 was: Letters, 4-74; books, &c, 15-22; newspapers, 2-78; and parcels, I'll per cent. Post-cards decreased 4-16 per cent. The average number of letters posted per head of population was estimated to be 39-43, or 40-36, including letter-cards. The averages in 1895 were 38-95 and 39-87 respectively. The Post-Office receipts for the financial year amounted to £262,482 ss. 6d.—an increase of £19,867 ss. lid., or 8-19 per cent. The expenditure was £196,242 19s. Bd., as against £183,855 ss. sd. for the previous year—an increase of £12,387 14s. 3d., or 6-74 per cent. There was therefore a balance of revenue over expenditure of £66,239 ss. 10d. The estimated value of official correspondence was £81,609. The gross earnings of the Post Office for the year were therefore £344,091 ss. 6d., and the credit balance £147,848 ss. 10d. Customs duties amounting to £7,693 11s. 2d. were collected on articles received through the post from places beyond the colony, and £1,300 11s. sd. on account of ordinary Customs work. The sum of £1,356 was collected in connection with the sale of game-licenses. Premiums amounting to £26,626 14s. 4d. were collected from policyholders on behalf of the Government Insurance Department. On publications of the Government Printer sold by him through the Post Office £404 16s. Id. was collected. Income-tax amounting to £50,840 19s. 5d., and land-tax £200,818 15s. 6d., were received at post-offices. Fees were collected under the Live-stock Acts amounting to £17,131 2s. The sum of £3,594 ss. was collected for machinery-fees. The receipts from the sale of miners' licenses amounted to £1,487 13s. £7,570 2s. was lodged at post-offices for investment in New Zealand Consols. Receipts on behalf of the Public Trust Office amounted to £205,731 11s. Bd., and payments to £202,664 75., as compared with £157,855 16s. and £160,113 2s. 2d. the previous year. Eailway receipts amounting to £12,343 15s. 10d. were also accounted for through the Post Office Account. The fees collected for the registration of births, deaths, and marriages amounted to £2,029 12s. Advances to Settlers Office receipts reached £608,943 2s. 9d., and payments £597,241 9s. 6d., a very considerable increase on the £314,288 9s. 10d. and £308,746 ss. 7d. for the previous year. Fees, &c, were also collected on account of the Audit Office, Hospitals and Charitable Aid, Industrial Schools, Lunacy Department, public baths, totalisator-tax, Factories Act, gumlicenses, Alcoholic Liquors Act, Licensing Act, auctioneers' licenses, fishing licenses, Education Department, and the Treasury. The payments made by the Post Office on behalf of the Treasury amounted to £415,017 9s. 4d. The gross receipts dealt with during the year were : Departmental, £6,031,581 lls. 6d. ; on account of other departments, £1,612,808 17s. 2d. : total, £7,644,390 Bs. Bd., as compared with £6,090,922 3s. 2d. for the previous year. The payments were : Departmental £5,980,989 19s. Bd. ; on behalf of other departments to individuals, £1,214,923 ss. 10d. ; to Government accounts, £333,273 16s. 3d. : in all, £7,529,187 Is. 9d., as against £6,106,403 lls. 3d. during the former year. The gross receipts and payments were therefore £15,173,577 10s. 5d., as against £12,197,395 14s. sd. for the year 1895-96. Deliveries by letter-carriers were established at: Dunedin—Outram ; Invercargill —Biverton; New Plymouth—Stratford ; Thames —Waihi; Wellington —Karori. Deliveries were extended at: Auckland—Coromandel; Christchurch—Rangiora, to include the whole of the borough ; Invercargill—Gore, to take in Denton, Ardwick, Crewe, Broughton, Eccles, Oldham, and Salford Streets, also East Gore; Thames—Waihi, to a distance of a mile and a half from the post-office, and to include Bull Town. An additional delivery has been established at Ashburton to provide for the prompt distribution of correspondence by the express-train from Christchurch at 1 p.m. The delivery was changed at Lyttelton to enable the letter-carriers to take their half-holiday on Thursday instead of Saturday. The designations of offices were changed as follow: Auckland—Alexandra to Pirongia, Henderson's Mill to Henderson ; Dunedin—Glenoamaru to Ahuriri Flat; Invercargill—Oteramika Gorge to Gorge Road; Napier—Port Ahuriri to Spit, Victoria to Papatawa; Wellington— Campbelltown to Rongotea, Palmer's to Raumai, Tutaekara to Hamua. Names were corrected as follow: Auckland—Mongonui to Mangonui, Tangawahine to Tangowahine, Wangarei to Whangarei, Wangarei Heads to Whangarei Heads, Wangaroa to Whangaroa ; Christchurch— Motonau to Motunau; Dunedin—Clarkesville to Clarksville ; Wanganui—Utika to TJtiku; Wellington —Ohonga to Aohanga. Twenty-two newspapers were registered for transmission by post, and eighteen ceased publication. Twenty-three receiving-boxes were established at: Auckland—City, 1 ; Avondale, 1 ; Coromandel, 1. Christchurch—City, 2; Ashburton, 1; Sydenham, 1. Greyrnouth—Brunnerton (Taylorville, 1; Wallsend, 1, reopened), 2. Thames—Te Aroha, 1; Waihi, 2; Waitekauri, 1. Timaru—Town, 1. Wanganui — Town, 1. Wellington — City, 5; Eketahuna, 1; Hutt, 1; Petone, 1. Five receiving-boxes were closed : Christchurch —City, 2 ; Greymouth—Brunnerton (Wallsend), 1; Oamaru —Town, 1; Wanganui—Town, 1.

ii—F. 1.