F.—l.

The total value of orders placed during the year was £348,772. Of this amount, £145,486 represented the cost of stores for supply from within the Dominion, while £203,286 represented the cost of stores for supply from overseas. The total value of orders placed during the previous year was £533,967. The total value of stores purchased by the Department under contracts arranged by the Stores Control Board was £35,236, including £29,732 for motor-spirit, and motor lubricating-oils. An amount of £3,461 was spent in the purchase of insulator-cups manufactured in the Dominion, and £15,487 in the purchase locally of 19,259 silver-pine poles and 300 cedar poles. Rata and other New-Zealand-grown timber was obtained at a cost of £5,119 for cutting into telegraph-arms, &c. Orders for twine of New Zealand manufacture amounted to £3,575. Particulars of purchases arranged by the Post and Telegraph Department on account of other Departments under the Stores Control Board Regulations are set out hereunder. The figures for the previous year are shown also :—

The purchase was arranged during the year of sixty motor-vehicles for other Departments, and of fifty-seven motor-vehicles for the Post and Telegraph Department. The figures for the previous year were 141 and 110 respectively. Sale of Obsolete and Unserviceable Material. A number of auction sales of obsolete and unserviceable material, including worn-out motorvehicles from various Departments, was held during the year. The total value of property disposed of was £6,471. This sum includes the value of scrap lead, copper, and other metals sold by tender. Marine Insurance Fund. The insurable value of stores from countries within the Empire and from the United States of America covered under the New Zealand Government Marine Insurance Fund was £263,204. WORKSHOPS. The Department's workshops throughout the Dominion continued to cope efficiently with the ever-growing requirements of the Service, and, in addition, the facilities were increasingly availed of by other Departments for the servicing and repairing of their motor-vehicles. While the activities of the shops were, in the main, similar to former years, the general curtailment of expenditure, together with the installation in some instances of more up-to-date plant, resulted in a slight reduction of staff. At the four chief centres the workshops are equipped for undertaking all classes of maintenance work, in respect of both telegraph and telephone apparatus and motor-vehicles. Manufacturing-work to a limited extent is also carried out in the Wellington Workshops, and to a lesser extent at Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Being essentially maintenance shops, the manufacturing-work naturally forms only a very small portion of the work executed, but the amount of such work undertaken assists to keep fully occupied the staff and machinery which are necessary for maintenance purposes. At the workshops situated at Hamilton, Napier, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Whangarei, Paeroa, Masterton, Gisborne, Greymouth, Timaru, and Invercargill the work is confined to repairs to motorvehicles. The total value of the work performed in the various workshops during the year amounted to £103,584, of which £7,627 represents the value of services rendered to other Government Departments. BUILDINGS. During the year buildings were erected as follow : — Post-office buildings : Kurow, Mount Albert (Auckland), Napier, Te Anga. Garages : Albany, Blenheim (also store, &c.), Ohura, Rawene, Tikitiki, Walton. Residences for Postmasters : Hinds, Kurow. The foundations for the new chief post-office building which it is proposed to erect at Dunedin have been completed.

3—F. 1.

17

Value of Items purchased. Year ended Requisitions. Items. 1 ———— Total. On Indent. Locally. ! £ £ £ 31st March, 1931 .. 3,196 13,376 23,560 43,060 66,620 31st March, 1930 .. 3,557 16,218 21,972 72,861 94,833