F.—l

2

Expenditure. The regular expenditure or the Department has been seriously increased by the abnormal rise in the prices of material which is absolutely necessary for the upkeep of its telegraph and other business. The price of iron wire has gone up some 260 per cent. ; of insulators, 75 per cent. ; battery zincs, 160 per cent. ; soldering preparations, 300 per cent. ; lead seals, 88 per cent. ; checking and copying pencils, about 200 per cent. ; the cheaper qualities of paper, from 200 to 300 per cent. ; canvas for mail-bags, according to quality, from 91 to 173 per cent. ; twine, 90 per cent. ; and stationery generally, about 40 per cent. These are simply quoted as leading examples, and will give some idea as to how the increased expenditure has arisen.

Receipts and Payments. The receipts and payments of the Department for the financial year 1916-17 are shown in the following table : —

The total receipts exceeded those of 1915-16 by £113,560 3s. 4£d The receipts and payments for the ten years ended 31st March, 1917, and for the years 1881-82, 1891-92, and 1901-2, are shown hereunder: —

Item. Postal. Telegraph. Total. -Rece«2>te. Postages Money-order and postal-note commission Money-ordor commission received from foreign offices Private box and bag rents Miscellaneous receipts Paid tolegrams Telephone exchanges £ s. d. 913,458 9 8£ 27,168 4 9J 819 8 7 15,985 7 4 7,361 12 9J £ s. d. £ s. d. 913,458 9 8J 27,168 4 9| 819 8 7 15,985 7 4 120,756 13 2| 413,853 12 0 317,275 4 0 113,395 0 5 413,853 12 0 317,275 4 9 Totals 964,793 3 2J £ s. d. 293,537 7 6 21,570 0 0 844,523 17 2 1,809,317 0 4J Payments. Salaries (classified officers) . . .. .. ... Salaries (country Postmasters and telephonists, and contributions to Railway Department) Conveyance of mails by sea Conveyance of inland mails Conveyance of mails by railway Money-order commission credited to foreign offices Maintenance of telegraph and telephone lines Miscellaneous 68,786 8 1 103,827 12 8 72,101 0 6 2,319 7 2 £ s. d. 403,794 5 9 40,530 0 0 £ s. d. 697,331 13 3 62,100 0 0 08,786 8 1 103,827 12 8 72,101 0 6 2,319 7 2 108,173 10 5 256,170 4 1 127,450 10 9 108,173 10 5 128,719 13 4 Balance of receipts over payments 689,592 6 8 275,200 16 6 i 681,217 9 163,306 7 6 8 1,370,809 16 2 438,507 4 2£ Totals 964,793 3 2 M 844,523 17 2 1,809,31.7 0 4J

Year. Receipts. Payments. Balance of Receipts over Payments. £ 234,529 233,291 £ 1,238 881-1882 .891-1892 901-1902 320,058 488,573 268,343 465,756 51,715 22,817 1907-1908 1908-1909 1909-1910 1910-1911 1911-1912 1912-1913 1913-1914 1914-1915 1915-1916 1916-1917 822,639 913,994 961,500 1,037,265 1,087,710 1,167,826 1,269,921 1,359,059 1,695,757 1,809,317 709,024 807,652 858,059 914,069 988,911 1,069,272 1,173,314 1,246,850 1,296,522 1,370,810 113,615 106,342 1.03,441 123,196 98,799 98,554 96,607 11.2,209 399,235 438,507 Total for ten years 12,124,988 10,434,'J 83 1,690,505