8.-6

The amounts collected by way of totalizator, bank-note, and amusements taxes are shown hereunder : — Totalizator-tax. £ 1921-22 . . . . . . .. 515,248 1920-21 . . .. .. .. 497,961 Increase .. .. 17,287 Bank-note Tax. 1921-22 .. .. .. .. 227,080 1920-21 .. .. .. .. 236,713 Decrease . . . . 9.633 Amusements-tax. 1921-22 . . .. .. ..103,815 1920-21 . . . . . . ..80,103 increase .. .. £23,712 The departmental expenditure vote for 1921-22 was £101,415, but in the estimates for the current year this is-reduced by £21,234. POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT. The amount of revenue collected by the Department during the year was £2,748,481. The principal items were--postages, £1,410,251 ; telegrams, £685,855 ; telephone-exchange receipts, £614,367. The net expenditure was £2,448,688, a decrease of £139,672 when compared with that of the previous year. The increased expenditure compared with 1914-15 is due entirely to the war or is a result of the war. As an indication of the increases in prices of material and office equipment, it may be mentioned that telephones increased by 52 per cent, in price ; poles, 88 per cent.; arms, 100 per cent.; other materials, wire, &c, ranging from 400 per cent, to 600 per cent.; stationery, 103 per cent. The following return shows clearly how necessary it was to increase the postal and telegraph rates to meet expenditure, including cost-of-living increases, during recent years : —

The salary expenditure in 1914-15 absorbed 55 per cent, of the total revenue, and 57 per cent, in 1921-22. The deposits in the Post Office Savings-bank for the year ended on the 31st March totalled £29,125,907, and the withdrawals £30,236,231, leaving an excess of withdrawals of £1,110,324. The amount standing to the credit of depositors on the 31st March, 1922, excluding interest for the year, was £42,241,797, compared with £19,048,029 at the end of 1914.

XI

Year. Actual Gross ! Revcnu". Estimated Actual Revenue if „ ... Revenue „ , , , , Expenditure. Ratis had not . r over been increased. Expenditure. Actual Expenditure over Revenue ovi r Exp; ndituiv if Rates had not been increased. Expendituic over Revenue if Rates had not boen increased. Revenue. I 1915-16 1916-17 1917 18 1918-19 1919 20 1920-21 1921-22 £ 1,695/(57 1.809,317 1,837,260 1,972,539 2,106,995 2,590,441 2,748,481 £ £ £ 1,559,505 1,296,522 399,235 1,538,533 1,3,0,810 438,507 1,554,250 ' 1,483,446 , 347,814 1,693,262 : 1,702,018 : 270,491 1,751,188 1.944,161 ', 162,834 1,732,810 ! 2,591,786 | 1,676,220 i 2,448,688 I 299,793 £ £ 262,983 167,743 64,804 £ 1,345 8,786 192,173 858,976 775,351