F.—l

INTERCOLONIAL NIGHT LETTER-TELEGRAM SERVICE. The night letter-telegram service with the Commonwealth of Australia, introduced in 1924, has become very popular with cable users. Although this service is relatively new, no less than 10,275 such messages were exchanged with the Commonwealth during March, 1926, as against 6,635 in March, 1925. The requirement that a sender of an intercolonial night letter-telegram must sign a declaration to the effect that his message is in plain language and that it bears no secret meaning was recently withdrawn. CABLE TRAFFIC. The number of cable messages, excluding Press, sent from New Zealand to international offices shows an increase of 9-67 per cent, on the number sent during 1924-25, and the number sent to Australian offices shows an increase of 11-90 per cent. Messages received from international offices increased by 11-18 per cent., and messages from Australia increased by 11-57 per cent. The proportion of cable messages sent " via Pacific " was less than that sent by the same route during the previous year, the percentages being 65-0 and 65-3 respectively. The following table shows the total number of cable messages, excluding Press, forwarded by each route during each of the past five years ; also the percentage of such traffic falling to each.

Press messages numbering 3,163 were sent via Pacific and 4,827 via Eastern, compared with 2,534 and 4,369 respectively during 1924-25. The number received via Pacific was 5,921 and via Eastern 4,208, compared with 6,628 and 4,176 respectively. The following table shows the total number of each class of message, excluding Press, forwarded during 1925-26, as compared with the number forwarded during 1924-25 : —

TELEGRAPH AND TOLL-LINE SYSTEMS. Extensions. The rapid growth during the last few years in the number of subscribers' stations has led to a corresponding increase in the use of the telephone toll-line system. Consequently, toll circuits which a few years ago were adequate are now heavily loaded. Wherever practicable, congestion on trunk lines has been relieved by providing short branch lines for intermediate offices, thus eliminating such offices from the main arterial circuits. By the adoption of this practice and by the application of superimposed methods by employing subsidiary apparatus it has been possible to rearrange the trunk circuits to much better advantage and to obtain additional circuits without erecting extra wires. Where existing facilities could not be augmented other than by the erection of additional circuits, rearrangements effected in conjunction with the erection of new circuits have almost invariably resulted in the traffic-carrying capacity of the original speech-channels being considerably increased. The progress made during the year in extending the toll-line system generally has been most satisfactory, and has resulted in a very appreciable improvement in the standard of toll service. There has now been completed a comprehensive scheme, comprising a reconstruction and extension of the telegraph and telephone circuits in the North Auckland district, which provides greatly improved facilities for intercommunication between the various exchanges in the North Auckland district and between that district and Auckland. The new scheme is characterized by the following important features : — A new trunk line of four wires has been erected between Auckland and Kaitaia via Kirikopuni and Kaikohe, this route being forty-three miles shorter than the previous one. These wires are

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Pacific. Eastern. Meesage,, | Year. I Messages. I I 1921-22 147,781 68 1921-22 69,515 32 1922-23 157,895 67-4 1922-23 76,455 32-6 1923-24 167,922 65-9 ' 1923-24 86,797 34-1 1924-25 185,680 65-3 1924-25 98,571 34-7 1925-26 204,586 65 1925-26 110,146 35

1925-26. 1924-25. Forwarded. Received. Forwarded. Received. Full-rate international cable messages .. .. 84,074 81,115 80,381 76,611 Deferred international cable messages .. .. 21,263 21*642 17,295 18,196 Daily letter-telegrams .. .. .. .. 31,849 21,086 27,408 15,579 Week-end telegrams .. .. .. .. 28,020 15,837 25,549 15,253 Australian cable messages .. .. .. 96,266 98,592 103,147 102,464 Australian night-letter telegrams .. .. 53,260 42,327 30,471 23,833 Totals .. .. .. .. 314,732 280,599 284,251 251,936 (For further statement of the Dominion's cable business see page 39-.)